Properties of the Heart
by EternalFluffy
Summary: Marluxia is the newest addition to the Organization, a young man full of spunk and ambition. But when he breaks into Vexen's laboratory, he winds up learning something about the Chilly Academic that no one would have guessed... gradual MarVex.
1. The Formation Process

This is my first Kingdom Hearts fanfiction. But I switch through fandoms a lot. I had heard of the series and knew about it quite a while ago, but I've only recently become obsessed with it due to a friend of mine telling me about "Demyx Time". I just loved it and set out to learn more about the series and play some of the games. I really liked KellyJane's version of Vexen, and so naturally, I ended up becoming a Vexen fan...and also a fan of 411.

I've debated for a long time about whether to write this fic, because I'm really nervous about it. I don't know how long it will last or anything, but...I just really want to get it out there. But enough about me...

STORY WARNINGS! PLEASE READ!

1.) If you're looking for smut/lemon/random sex scenes, this ain't it. In fact, there may not be any sex scenes at all. It _is_ rated T...for now.

2.) Rating _may_ go up in the future. This story may eventually contain some gore, language, and descriptions of...very bad things.

3.) Beware the OOC. I'm not very confident in my characterizations of any of the characters at all. And it is my belief that in order for MarVex to work at all, one or both of them must be at least slightly OOC.

4.) This story is horribly AU as of the English release of Birth by Sleep. It's just inevitable.

I also apologize for the lack of Vexen in this first chapter. Don't worry-we'll see plenty of him in chapter 2. Plus, I really needed to work on Marluxia, since he's the more difficult character for me to write.

At one point, there are also a few tiny, tiny, tiny suggestions of XigXal and LexZex. Tiny enough that if you hate those couples, you can just completely overlook them. But I do kind of like them myself.

All characters, things, exc. (C) to Square-Enix/Disney. All I own is Borealis. But at least I get a world all to myself!

(-)

Chapter 1: The Formation Process

_Sometimes I wish I could rearrange my mind. I wish I could pull it back and chop its little sparking neurons apart, reduce it to its basic elements, so that it would only be capable of skimming the surface. I wish I could look at that tree and just see a tree-see a beautiful work of nature gently rustling in the natural breeze. I wish I could lie under its shadow and think about the sky, imagining what might lie beyond it, imagining the wonders the rest of the world might hold. I wish I could enjoy your gift without knowing that it was made out of nothingness and that it would dissolve in another five minutes. You'd never accept the fact that you'd just killed two innocent bystanders for no reason. I wish I could say that as I turned to leave, the sight of the spot where we shared so much and discovered so much and spent so much time together filled me with the memory of a wistful regret. But I can't. _

_The golden leaves ruffled, clanking against each other with little metallic clinks, in place of their usual watery leaf-rustle. It had to be left behind. I would never be able to move forward if I allowed these things to stand in my way. _

_A pair of wide blue eyes flashed through my mind, a vision of a vision, the image so far removed, it was the ghost of a television screen. But there was a concept tied to it with silvery threads-_hope_. _

_There were rosy cheeks bubbling into tissuey pink meaty masses, transforming again, into a girl locked in her room, screaming an unexpected noise, searching for the strings she had forgotten existed, but were pulling on the edges of her skin her with all their might. That noise...that terrible noise...the creaking, stretching, cracking... A sound like a herd of moose dying, spidery streaks of black violently twitching back…jerking up and down... Screaming for release, tearing at the walls of plaster that stood in my way. The slowly crackling walls… Feeling those walls softly give way under my hands. The Impetus. _

_Things were different now. The instant I took my first breath, I knew I had made a mistake. But I had to get out of here. This stasis would never accomplish anything. _

_I have come to understand you better. And that, I believe, was the only purpose. Decisions have been made, and paths have been furrowed. I can see them plainly again, the crystal energies twined around each other, and thus, another question has been answered. I want to live with you again. I want you to live together again too. The time for rejection and masking has passed. _

_And this is a path I must travel alone. Alone…_

(-)

The day Lumaira Arcaetius lost his heart, a mild tremor ran through the floorboards of an apartment complex in Borealis. The residents looked up briefly from their cleaning, their knitting, their finances, only to murmur a quick exchange about an earthquake and earthquakes being virtually unheard of in this portion of the world before returning to their previous occupations. None of them would notice when a giant black creature shot up towards the sun, only to be met by a deadly streak of purple fire, tumbling out of the sky, dissipating before it even hit the ground.

Borealis itself was a little-known world located near the outer ridges of Hollow Bastion—a small yet densely populated region which the Heartless had eagerly taken to. Its Heartless population was more controlled and easily maintained, so the creatures of darkness easily blended in with the city's natural urban ecosystem…along with rats and spiders.

With a swift whooshing tuck and the tack of shiny shoe soles meeting metal, a figure dressed all in black landed atop one of the city's tall building frames. His dark graying ponytail flared out behind him, and two long, oddly-shaped purple guns swung from his hands on either side of him. A wry smirk graced his scarred face as he stared at the spot where the Heartless had just disappeared. It had been a powerful Heartless at that—a being too large and oppressing for the likes of this measly little world. Weak in its moment of birth, he'd been able to take it out with one exceedingly well-aimed shot, and now… he was free to scout out the Nobody he was sure it had left behind.

Xigbar, the Organization's second member, was in charge of finding new and powerful Nobodies for their own benefit—the powerful shells left behind after a creature with an exceptionally strong heart lost that heart to the Darkness. Being a Nobody himself, he could sense the presence of other nearby Nobodies, and right now, he was sure there was one somewhere in this city. And apparently, quite a powerful one. Although he couldn't feel emotions, a flicker of a memory that may have been excitement sparked through Xigbar's nerves. His fingers twitched at the triggers of his guns with eagerness. He might even have a genuine Organization-caliber Nobody on his hands this time. He waited, one foot pressed against the edge of the building atop which he was perched, for the signal to come again.

Then…a ripple pulsed out over the city, across the cream-cobbled streets, straight through the tallest and sturdiest buildings without a shiver. The essence of Darkness.

Xigbar shoved off from the building, sailing through the air from roof to roof with acrobatic leaps towards the source of the pulsation. The little running energy-bubbles in the atmosphere started getting closer and closer together, almost rolling over each other in their frequency as he came nearer and nearer to the center. He started to hear something—faint high-pitched squeaks, something growling. A small grin appeared on Xigbar's face, just below his eye-patch. They were screams. People were screaming, crying, attempting to run away…this really _was_ quite the catch.

He paused atop the slightly domed roof of a military museum for a moment to scope out the territory. A particularly powerful pulse rippled over him, so dense he could almost taste the Darkness in it. He could smell it, even without Zexion's acute sense of scent. He crouched a little to feel the wave as it passed over and through him like an invisible crest of water. Ahh…what a delightfully refreshing sensation… Closing his one good eye against the ripples of Darkness, he noticed that they weren't coming in exactly regular intervals. They were sudden swoops…swipes… _Slashes_… A force of darkness…a force of darkness was being actively _used_.

Another scream tore through the pulsating air of the city, and Xigbar ripped his own eye open again just in time. A glush of red liquid spurted out from underneath a striped awning, running in drops from the edge of something large and pink, as if it were a paintbrush. And when it immediately swung back up, Xigbar instantly recognized it as a weapon—a weapon of darkness—an enormous, pink, blood-stained scythe.

A person—a being—slung it over one shoulder as if it was nothing more than a baton, and froze, waiting, watching, and empty. It was a male, Xigbar could tell, from its broad shoulders and wide chest area, although its pink fluffy hair left him slightly confused. A simple brown jacket, blue shirt, and black pants covered it, completely out-of-place with its brightly-colored hair and scythe. Aside from those two unusual features, it could've easily been taken for a regular everyday Borealis citizen. But Xigbar knew, as soon as he laid his one eye on it. This was no everyday citizen. This wasn't even a human being. This was a Nobody…and one of the highest level.

Apparently, it had been on a purposeless rampage, blindly slaying everyone in its path for lack of a better thing to do with a giant weapon and a pool of darkness within. He would have to intercept, not only on the part of the Organization's scouting patrol, but also since this certain Nobody was drawing just a little too much attention to itself with its brainless bloodbath.

_Purpose…_ He could almost imagine Lord Xemnas saying. _It now lacks a purpose. Its rage is driven by pure confusion and lack of employment. We can give it purpose. We can put it to use. It is ours. _

The Organization had just welcomed its tenth member less than a month ago, and many of the elder members were wondering just how many others they were planning on adding before it was all over and done with. But as far as Xigbar was concerned…the more the merrier.

Bringing his body down to his knees, bending his feet back, boots stretched over the dome structure, he prepared himself for the opportune moment to strike. And just in time…it came.

A small band of law enforcement officials had arrived in a square-shaped vehicle—finally, someone had survived and had been smart enough to call the police (or whatever the Borealis equivalent to police were). They hurriedly filed out, raising neon blue shotgun-type devices with spiked and wiry tips.

"Alright!" One near the front called out, presumably the chief. "Drop your weapon! We've got you surrounded! One move and we'll be forced to-"

Unfortunately for the cops, their normal human reflexes were no match for the two powerful creatures of darkness hiding in plain sight before them. With one lightning-fast backwards movement, the pink-haired Nobody sliced its scythe through the air…and without a sound, took the chief's head clean off, leaving his body to plop lifelessly to the ground beside it.

_Now! _The rest of the squad barely had a second in which to gasp or scream before bullets of purple dark energy pierced straight through their bodies, perfectly on target. Xigbar couldn't help but crack a grin for kicks as he somersaulted through the air. _I'm really on top of my game today!_

It was the Nobody he was concerned with, of course…but these pesky Borealis law officers couldn't be allowed to remain alive after witnessing something like this. He wouldn't be able to recruit this Nobody right in front of them…and attempting to divert them was just too much trouble. If all went according to plan, they'd both be teleporting out of here before anyone else took notice.

Xigbar landed effortlessly in the midst of the carnage, and the pink-haired Nobody, immediately confused and alarmed by his sudden appearance, whirled around and swung his scythe at him. Xigbar back-flipped out of the way. Crossing his two guns in front of his chest, he blocked the Nobody's next lunging attack. For a split-second, he got a good close-up view of its narrow shock-blue eyes and its smooth face…before it launched itself into the air again, twirling its scythe around its nimble body as if it was a simple little flag.

_Amazing! _Xigbar thought, even as he dodged continuing swipes, lunges, and flying stabs. _To be able to wield that weapon so gracefully even though it's only existed for a few minutes. This one's coming with me, no matter what!_

He would have to really concentrate this time in order to find an opening. A pause in the barrage enabled him to fire a volley of shots in the Nobody's direction, but its extremely quick reflexes allowed it to dodge every one of the zooming bullets. It whirled the scythe around, in front and then behind, twirling and swishing it through the air in a deadly bladed dance. A few stray bullets rebounded off its long, rotating green handle with a pathetic little clink. Coming a bit closer, the edge of the blade just barely missed Xigbar's cheek by a couple of inches. He grimaced. _Almost ended up with a second cheek-scar to match the one I already got! Heh. Now this is a fight! I can't wait to see this guy once he's properly trained. I think I'm going to have to kick this up another notch…_

Xigbar decided he would have to use more than just his raw fighting skills to win this battle…next time, he'd have to use his full power. But for now, he'd have to get that Nobody's attention and make it focus on something else besides battle.

"Hey, yo! Why are you attacking me, anyway? I finished off the fuzz for ya."

The Nobody lunged at him again, swinging his scythe down with swift force. Xigbar purposely stayed put and blocked it again with his double-gun shield. "Or is it just 'cause you got nothing better to do?"

This time, he noticed those blue eyes widen just a smidgeon. The Nobody hesitated for a moment before leaping away—and it also didn't immediately attack.

Xigbar clenched his hands over the handles of his guns. This was exactly what he had been waiting for. He had simultaneously activated this new Nobody's mind and momentarily stunned it by forcing it to think. He could almost sense its brain switching on and churning as it struggled to process his question and come up with an answer.

This one would have its memories…that was certain from its power level and its personal turn towards darkness…however, it would take a while before those memories settled in and came into place once again. The beginning existence of a Nobody was always disconcerting to the person existing within it. The transition into a heart-less shell of darkness always tended to leave the body in a state of mind-wiped shock for a bit. This may have been the first time this particular Nobody had even tried to seriously think. As far as Xigbar knew, it hadn't even yet spoken its first word…as of right now, it might not even be capable of responding at all, even if its brain did arrive at an answer.

Its stagger didn't last for too long, though, and soon enough, it was dashing to the side, once again attempting to outmaneuver him and slice his back open. Xigbar easily catapulted out of the way.

"Think about it!" he continued, putting a taunting chuckle into his voice for dramatic effect. "What _is_ your purpose anyway? What is this supposed to accomplish? If you kill everyone off, then you'll just end up alone…and you'll snuff out faster than you sprang to life. And attacking like this can't even satisfy your anger…because you can't even _feel_ anger anymore, can you?"

The Nobody paused again…it stood with its legs spread, brown lace-up boots pressing against the cracked and bloodstained gray concrete of the street. Its arms lowered just a little bit, letting the enormous scythe droop down an inch. Its pink mop of a head lowered, searching the pebbles of the ground for a moment, scanning them as if trying to find the answer there.

Its head popped back up the instant Xigbar catapulted off the striped awning he'd been resting on and hit the ground a few meters in front of him. Once again, bullets were ricocheting off the metallic edge of a whirling scythe as they attacked and retreated, back and forth, back and forth. Xigbar was really just extending the battle at this point—it _was_ the best duel he'd fought in quite a while.

"Don't you want to channel this power?" He yelled above the continued sounds of clanking and explosions. "You can put it to good use, instead of just whipping it around senselessly. You've got real talent, man, and I'd hate to see it wasted, y'know? Don't you want to…_be _something?"

Another pause. The pink-haired Nobody froze for another locked-up moment, and this time, Xigbar knew it was the moment he needed.

In the blink of his companion's long lashes, he melted into the ground in a pool of black and blue-purple, instantaneously teleporting behind it. The stunned Nobody barely had a millisecond to begin to turn around before Xigbar lunged at it with his full body weight, pinning it to the rough street and, at last, bringing its killing spree to an end.

It struggled for a minute, but eventually relinquished itself to Xigbar's firm grasp on its shoulders and ankles, letting its arms fall limply at its sides. The giant scythe dissipated in a cloud of darkness the moment it touched the ground.

Finally, he could get a good, long look at it. It was fairly young—Xigbar would say in its early twenties—with a smooth and effeminate face, despite the unattractive grinding of its teeth at this moment. That signature pink hair fell in little wisps to its shoulders, bangs falling over the neon blue eyes. _Here's proof if there ever was that beauty is only skin-deep._

Xigbar chuckled a little again. He might as well make his victory a little more tangible. After all, he had to show this Nobody that the Organization was stronger than it…that there was no use trying to resist.

"See?" Xigbar lowered his voice now, in case there were any people still left inside houses nearby. "You are a Nobody. But that's not an insult. I'm a Nobody too. There are others like us—several others. Join us, and become part of a force much grander than this pitiful little planet. Join us, and your power will be put to good use, for the benefit of us all."

Its narrow eyes blinked as if trying to process this information, its hands curling into fists beside it with effort and tension.

"I beat you, didn't I?" Xigbar continued, arranging his features into a half-friendly, half-threatening smile. "I can overcome you. If you come with me, our Organization will be able to teach you these things…secret powers and techniques to channel and refine your power even further, to the absolute best of its abilities. But we will also teach you how to use it—and not to use it recklessly. Your talents will be employed towards an attainable goal—a noble goal for the sake of yourself, myself, and all other sentient Nobodies like us."

The eyes widened a little against the dull gray rock of the ground. Good. He was getting through to it. He knew that it could understand, though it hadn't yet given any sign of it. This had happened with the other two as well.

"Do you want to feel that anger you seem so unfairly deprived of? Do you really want a satisfying revenge? Do you want to feel that thrill of victory?"

Carefully now, Xigbar pulled back, off of the semi-paralyzed Nobody, knowing that it wouldn't try to attack him again now. It lied there flat on its back, craning its neck slightly to keep the pony-tailed sniper in sight.

"Come," Xigbar demanded, holding out his hand. "We'll give you the life you've been searching for."

There was a moment's hesitation again, as the Nobody sat itself up, staring at him with fuzzy thought. It blinked again, twice in succession…before hoisting itself to its booted feet…and placing its bare hand in Xigbar's black glove.

He grabbed it tightly, cracked another sideways grin, and an instant later, they were engulfed in a dark corridor. The darkness exploded out from around them, stretching its tentacles above its bulb before it disappeared again, taking the two of them with it…leaving an empty, stilted, blood-soaked Borealis street in its wake.

The memory of pride coursed through Xigbar's system as he hurtled through the dark energy streams, holding tight to the hand of his newest recruit. For a moment, his smile almost seemed genuine. Success was a sweet taste, even when you'd lost your taste buds. _That was excellently handled, if I may say so myself_, Xigbar patted himself on the back. _Yes, yes. That was the most fun I've had on a mission in ages. Ahhhhhh…Xemnas would be proud. _

(-)

Saïx scowled as he led the pink-haired young man up the spiraling blue-white staircase towards the very top of The Castle that Never Was, tucking his materials firmly under one arm. Just yesterday afternoon, if the artificial clocks installed in the castle's walls could be trusted, that jackal Xigbar had returned from his routine cleanup mission in Borealis with this Nobody, assuring him that he was just the kind of Nobody they'd want to employ. He'd taken out a whole street full of Borealis citizens, including their police chief, and had even given him a run for his munny. From his appearance, it was hard to believe…but Lord Xemnas had faith in Xigbar, and so Saïx would have to have faith in him as well.

The Nobody hadn't said a word yet…he was just following along, periodically glancing to the right or left to get a view of the rest of the castle and the nonexistent city below. No one had ever thought anything would come from that sorry little rat-hole of a world—they'd even considered just destroying it once they'd amassed enough power and resources—but here was something standing in the way now and proving them wrong. Saïx silently resented having to pull up that world's file again and leave it open as a potentially useful source, but he knew he'd do it anyway. He always did it. No matter what had to be done, he always did it.

He had to admit, he had a few trepidations about this fresh Nobody, especially since he seemed "blanker" at this point than the other two had been. Before Demyx's initiation, the little chatterbox had been asking question after question, sometimes just to get on Saïx's nerves…and Luxord had just been calmly courteous. This one seemed to be glaring at him somehow, as if trying to say "What the hell are you doing with me, blue-haired freak?" with his eyes. Or at least that's how Saïx interpreted it. He couldn't wait to hand him off to Lord Xemnas. Then he could go back to being a simple secretary for the day.

The stack of papers under his arm were identification forms—they would be filled out during and after the naming ceremony to confirm the new Nobody's identity and document his arrival into the Organization. There were a few forms in here that he was supposed to read and sign—contracts, if you would. It made the elder members laugh to think of the Organization as issuing such "business" papers, but Saïx knew that without this kind of administrative work, new recruiting would easily get out of hand…especially with someone like Xigbar heading the operation. Another reason, Saïx recalled, that he and Lord Xemnas were thinking about permitting Xaldin to become part of the recruitment force. Sometimes their dear Number Two needed a little looking after…

The unnamed Nobody yawned behind him, and Saïx picked up the pace. Thankfully, a few moments later, the two of them arrived at the castle's open roof balcony, where Xemnas was waiting.

Saïx's boots tapped against the blue marble as he made his entrance, though the new Nobody's squishy brown soles made no noise at all. He made a short bow and prodded the Nobody into doing the same, an action for which he displayed a certain resentment.

The leader of the Organization stood just in front of the balcony's edge, framed by a starless black expanse of a sky, arms folded behind his back. Coupled with the blackness of his outfit, his spiked silvery hair and yellow eyes stood out even more. A tiny smile graced his lips as he moved forward a few steps, pushing off from the balcony rail.

"Ah, Saïx. You've brought the new recruit to me. Prompt as always."

Saïx nodded his head, respectfully. "Of course, Superior."

Xemnas turned to the new Nobody this time, addressing him directly. "My apologies for not coming to welcome you properly when you arrived yesterday. I have been a bit occupied as of late. I am Xemnas, founder of this Organization and your new leader."

The Nobody nodded to indicate comprehension, though he still didn't say a word. He stepped forward to meet him, as if sensing that he had been called forth. Their eyes met.

_Aaaugh!_ Saïx's mind couldn't help but screech, in a reactionary panic. _Stop doing that!_

The Nobody was glaring straight at Xemnas in the same resentful manner that he'd been glaring at him on the stairs. But Xemnas only smiled back, with an expression that would have sent chills down any normal human's spine.

"I understand Xigbar has plenty of faith in your abilities. He said you can summon a large scythe."

With one sweeping motion and a small circle of light, the curved green handle of a giant pink scythe appeared in the Nobody's right hand. Saïx tightened his grip on the papers in his hands, wary and ready to step in to intervene at any moment. But everything was under control. Xemnas only nodded with recognition and approval, and the scythe dissipated once again.

"Welcome to our Organization," Xemnas continued, slightly beckoning for the Nobody to come closer. "It is time for you to receive your new identity…your purpose and your reason for being. Come."

The Nobody took another few steps forward, stopping about a foot and a half in front of the Organization's leader. Saïx moved into place on the side, a good vantage point from which to observe and document. He barely remembered the day he and Axel had been put through a similar ordeal. Nowadays, naming ceremonies were more…ceremonious. More congratulatory. Most of the original six hadn't exactly been pleased with him and Axel's inception. But enough about that.

"State your original name," Xemnas spoke, confident that this Nobody would have remembered his Other's name at this point.

He closed his eyes, and with a simple minute gesture from Xemnas's hand, large, clear letters appeared around his body, spelling out a name… "Lumaira".

_Lumaira?_ Saïx wrote it down. It was a fairly long name. Most of the other Organization members had mercifully short original names: Rould, Myde…Isa and Lea. How was he going to make a new name out of "Lumaira"? It was even longer than "Aeleus". The form now read "Other's name: Lumaira, Origin: Borealis."

However, Xemnas's cold smile was still in place. The seven letters crammed around the pink-haired Nobody were almost a challenge to him.

There was a pause, whether for thinking or just for dramatic effect, no one could tell. Then, one little sweep from the Superior's hand sent the letters spinning and mixing around each other…a clear red "X" appearing between them, towards the end, as they finally came to a stop and settled, each turning red after the other, as if the X had infused the other letters with dye.

Saïx stared at the letters for a while, trying to read the name of their new member. "…Mar-lucks-ee-ah?" he pronounced. "Mar-loo-ksee-ah?"

"Marluxia." Saïx was surprised when an unexpectedly deep voice burst out of the newly-named Nobody, pronouncing his own name like he'd known it was his name for a long time already. "Mar-loo-sha".

"Ah," he replied, turning back to the form to write the new name down (along with its all-important pronunciation). "I understand."

"That's _three_ syllables, Saïx" Xemnas added, teasingly holding up three fingers. "Mar…loo…sha."

"I've got it, I've got it!"

The Superior chuckled a bit, putting on a show. Marluxia only stared back, this time questioningly.

With another vague gesture and a whooshing cloud of darkness, a long black coat appeared in Xemnas's hands…followed by gloves, boots, and a pair of pants. "Your uniform, Marluxia. You will put this on and renounce your common Nobody identity for the remainder of your existence. As of now, you are a member of our Order. The 11th Order, as of today, for you are our Number Eleven."

Xemnas handed the uniform to Marluxia, who bowed his head slightly. "Yes, Xemnas."

"You will refer to me as your Superior from now on, Marluxia."

"…Yes, Superior."

Swiftly, Xemnas gestured towards the jacket again, switching the topic. "You'll find that it fits perfectly, and to your personal tastes. All our uniforms are formed out of the darkness to suit those that wear them."

Marluxia fingered the material for a moment, feeling out its texture and weight.

"Tomorrow you shall begin your formal training, and by the end of the week, you should form your elemental bond. Saïx will give you further instructions as to what this means and how to prepare for it. As for now, you are dismissed…I hope to see great things from you in the future."

Marluxia only nodded again, silently, as Xemnas moved away, turning back to examine his new uniform again.

_Great_, Saïx mentally resented. _I have to give instructions to the newbie again. _

"Saïx…" The blue-haired Nobody turned quickly when he recognized that his lord was speaking to him now, in a hushed voice. "We will be unable to assemble today. Have Xigbar show him around and introduce him tomorrow."

"Y-Yes, sir." Saïx was a little unsure why this was such hush-hush information. Marluxia probably wouldn't even know what that meant, or even care about it if he did know what it meant.

"Make sure you keep an eye on him."

_That goes without saying._

"I've got a feeling about this one."

Saïx's thoughts ground to a halt. A _feeling_…? That couldn't be good. He trusted his lord's hunches, and he'd had his reservations about Marluxia already. From what Xigbar had told him, he seemed especially violent…plus, the way he had been glaring at them…

He nodded, firmly. "Yes, Lord Xemnas. I will not let him out of my sight. I will make sure he can do nothing to harm us."

"Good."

With a few more vague words of congratulations and welcome, Xemnas sent Marluxia off, with Saïx leading him once again, back down the stairs. And as he tucked his papers securely back under his arm, Saïx decided that as soon as he returned to his own room, he'd be making a few "special" notes on their pink-haired new member's sheet.

(-)

_The only thing I can recall from that time was the need. I had been born with this need…some kind of thirst for revenge. This need was what drove me for the first few days of my new life, and I can remember nothing else. Xigbar may tell me about the spectacular fight we had, or Saïx may recall the day I was named…but those remain absent from my now complete file of memories. _

_The pieces began to fall into place just after that naming period. I remembered who I once had been. I remembered where I once had lived. I remembered his life, bit by bit. He had left me his vendetta, and I know why now. But today, I fight for my own advancement, not to satisfy a grudge that isn't even mine anymore. _

_They called me "violent" when I first met them…Xigbar, Saïx… But I didn't feel violent or "unstable" at all. My very first memory of this life is waking up in a light blue bed, in a room with white walls…my room now. I stood up and just stared around at the patterns on the walls, at the carved backboard of the bed, and at the little bedside table beside it, until a man with ragged blue hair and a long black coat came in to speak to me. _

_Saïx told me everything then. I suddenly noticed that I was wearing one of those long black coats too. He told me I'd joined this Organization without my even knowing it…although he said they'd gotten my "consent". He said I was being "very talkative" today, and that was a good sign. He told me about what I was, and the limits and conditions of being me. Then he told me that another man named "Xigbar" was coming to pick me up in two hours for my introduction and the beginning of my training. And after he left, that's when all the memories began to flood back at once. _

_I remembered anger…frustration…confusion…and most of all, desire. I remembered a sort of bubbling elation…mystic awe…wonderment… And then disappointment. Pain. Fear and panic. Shame. Three different kinds of pain all at once. Then more anger. Lumaira's life flashed through my mind—a whole lifetime summed up in the span of forty-five minutes. _

_It would be too much for any normal person to handle, but since I couldn't actually feel those emotions I was remembering, it only affected me on the surface. It was like watching a bland documentary of someone else's life…only that someone else used to be you. It was a pack of knowledge and background information only. Nice to know…useful to remember and know how to replicate…but this person wasn't me. _

_I'm not Lumaira. I am Marluxia. I am better and stronger than Lumaira could ever be. And I will prove it. _

(-)

At precisely 3:00 that afternoon, according to the castle clocks, Marluxia stepped out of his room into the hallway, glancing around for any sign of another black-cloaked figure with an eye-patch. He didn't remember too much about Xigbar, since he hadn't been entirely conscious when he'd encountered him, but he knew somehow that he had an eye-patch…and two large guns.

Marluxia had been placed in a room in the east wing of the castle, on the fifth floor. As far as he knew, there were no other occupied rooms in this hallway—just a bunch of empty, dusty walls. There was a lot of empty space in the Castle that Never Was for some reason. Marluxia guessed it was either to make sure they had plenty of room for any additional members, or it was just some ridiculous symbolic gesture indicating the empty life of a Nobody. But in any case, he was all by himself up here. It was so empty, every little sound reverberated off the walls, echoing for up to a minute…and so Marluxia heard Xigbar coming long before he caught sight of him.

The tap-tap-tapping of boots against smooth marbled floor bounced down the long hallway a moment before the dark figure appeared at the end. By the time he got up close, another one of those wry grins was spread across Xigbar's face.

"Aw, I should've just popped up and scared you. This way's no fun."

Marluxia raised an eyebrow. "You would've risked getting a giant blade in your stomach."

"But it would've been worth it." Xigbar cocked his head a little to the side. "So you're talking now and everything, huh? Excellent. You get all your memories back?"

Marluxia faintly nodded. "Pretty much."

"I knew it."

Marluxia averted his eyes a little as Xigbar pointedly fixed his expression into one of smug pride. If there was one thing he knew about Xigbar from everything he'd heard of him and from what he'd been told about his own recruitment, he was quite hung up on the fact that he'd been the one to find him and bring him here. His high would probably pass, but Marluxia anticipated another week or so of having to deal with Xigbar popping up every time he did something successfully, as if to take credit for his accomplishments.

"Haha, and ol' Saïx was all worried that you wouldn't be up to the task—since you couldn't speak, you'd been off on a rampage and all that. Look at the difference a day can make!"

"Yes," Marluxia lamely agreed. "Quite a difference." _Especially considering, as far as I knew, I hadn't even been alive until today._

"Alrighty then!" Xigbar clapped him on the back, which made him slightly uncomfortable. "Let's get you set. Normally, we have a whole Organization gathering to welcome new members, but we can't this time for some reason. They asked me to show you around so you can meet everybody. I said no problem, man, I love noobs." He gave a short laugh, which only sent off even more "uncomfortable" signals in Marluxia's head. "Fortunately, I got everyone to go to the Grey Area so they're all in one place and we don't have to go hunt 'em down. Though I'll have to show you around the rest of the castle eventually. But as of right now, this is all you need to know."

Xigbar led Marluxia down the corridor (still with an arm around him, much to his trepidation) and around several more bends. They had to climb down a staircase in a large open-air column, and as they did, Marluxia looked down and tried to spot the bottom.

"It goes all the way into the ground," Xigbar told him when he noticed his gaze. "You wouldn't want to fall off this stairway, oh nooo siree. Fortunately, though, I can teleport. Haha!"

_Why is he laughing? _Marluxia found himself wondering. _Obviously, he doesn't really find it funny. Is he just trying to make me at ease? If that's the case, it's having the opposite effect._ And as Marluxia followed along, trying to figure out Xigbar's motivations, he barely noticed when they stepped down another long corridor and into a large room.

When he noticed their surroundings again, they were in a lounge-type area, including four sofas and two tables, all in the same muted bluish-grey color, of course. The floor was also dull blue and studded with glass panels, and various strange "technological" designs crawled across the walls. The back wall was made of giant glass panels, so that you could stand in front of it and look out at the black starless sky, as well as the blocky constructs of a few other parts of the castle.

And of course, one of the first things Marluxia noticed was that the room was filled with other people in black coats, standing or sitting around in the area…and they all turned to look at the two of them as they stepped into the center of the room. Marluxia wasn't daunted at all, though he wasn't particularly interested in getting to know any of these people. His gaze went completely past them as he scanned the black swirling sky and the castle pieces. It was, after all, the first indication he'd had that there was any kind of world outside of the castle. He briefly wondered if he could get Xigbar to bring him outside…before his eyes accidentally fell into the radar of another set of slim green ones.

"Well, would you look at pink-head here."

Marluxia blinked and focused, to realize that the voice was coming from a skinny guy leaning against one of the glass panels, with hair so red and spiky it looked like it had exploded out of the back of his head.

"You must be the new member. What's your element—sugar? Nail polish? Glitter?"

Marluxia finally had a use for his anger memories and conjured up a death glare to shoot in the red-head's direction. "You had better quit that attitude before I slice your throat open—then you won't have anything to say at all, will you?"

"Geez." The young man held up his hands, a motion which Marluxia only vaguely registered as backing off. "It was just a little joke, nothing meant by it. I like you hair, really. It's almost as cool as mine!"

Marluxia kept his death glare focused. "And what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"_Joke_, joke again. Gee, someone's touchy. Oh, boy, not another one of those… I've had enough of you uptight types."

"I'm not uptight—I just know my own worth. Just because I'm the newest member here doesn't mean that I'm weak or any less worthy than you."

"Hey," the other man shrugged. "If I'd known you were going to get all defensive about it, I wouldn't have-"

"It doesn't matter-either way, you shouldn't be saying those things, period!"

"Well _excuse _me for-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Dudes, chillax." Xigbar finally intervened, cutting out between them, arms raised. "Look at you two going at it when you don't even know each other's names yet."

_Not like I care,_ Marluxia thought, though he knew at this point to keep his mouth shut.

"Heh heh, yeah." The spiky red-head scratched the back of his head, casually…that thing must get awfully itchy. "Sorry about that. How 'bout we call it a truce?"

He stuck out his hand, and Xigbar nudged Marluxia forward to shake it…though part of Marluxia didn't want to give it up so easily. He knew he'd be made to work with this guy in the future, though, and if he made enemies now, things would get really difficult…

Their gloved hands met, and Xigbar couldn't help himself from chiming in with an explanation. "This is Axel, Numero Eight. Axel, Marluxia."

"Cool name," Axel commented again as they pulled away. "Really, sorry about that. I bet you'll make a great member in no time."

"Yeah." Marluxia couldn't bring himself to apologize, but he wanted to make some kind of peace with Axel anyhow. "I look forward to working together sometime." Thankfully, the introductions kept rolling, and so Marluxia didn't have to deal with the repercussions of his empty statement.

"Hey!" Another voice piped up from the sofa on the right. "Speaking of Number Eight, I'm Number Nine! Hey-a!" A young man with sandy blond hair that stood straight up in the center turned around and waved from where he'd been sitting, plucking at a giant blue stringed instrument.

"That's-"

"Demyx!" The guy called, completely interrupting Xigbar's introduction. "I'm Demyx. Nice to meet you. Do you play any instruments?"

"Uh…no." Marluxia practiced his frown, hoping to successfully convey his utter disinterest in the subject.

"Aww, that's too bad." Demyx turned to gaze back at his enormous blue guitar-thing with a slightly disappointed expression. "I've been wanting to form a band in the Organization for a while now, but I'm the only one who plays. It would be hard to get a balanced sound with a sitar and a flute or something anyway."

_A flute? _Marluxia practiced his scowl. _Why does everyone think I'm a complete pansy just because I have pink hair?_

"I play the trumpet, occasionally," Xigbar chuckled. "Just to humor him."

"Yeah, hey, why don't you ever form a band with me, Xiggy?" Demyx complained.

"Cause I don't want the responsibility, kid. I play when I want to play—I'm not getting myself tied down to anything."

Meanwhile, Marluxia's gaze slid over to the man standing next to Demyx, who hadn't said a word yet. He was large and well-built, with black braids gathered in a ponytail on the back of his head, along with a pair of unusually long sideburns. He glanced up when he noticed Marluxia looking at him and offered his hand. Maluxia took it for another hand-shake, and surprisingly, Xigbar was too busy chatting with Demyx to notice.

"I extend my welcome," he spoke, in a gruff and serious voice. "My name is Xaldin." They separated, and Xaldin stared down at him, as if sizing him up. "Xigbar tells me you're a good fighter. I respect that. Though I'll have to see your skills in action first before I accept you as one."

Marluxia nodded his head a bit. _A challenge, huh? _"I'll be sure to live up to your expectations."

Xaldin's thick eyebrows bristled a bit. "…You had better."

"Hey, yo!" Xigbar turned around just as the two were about to walk off in their separate directions. "Looks like you already met Xaldy here without my help."

_Xaldy? _Marluxia stared, questioningly, as Xigbar easily strode up next to the large man and flung a comparatively small arm over his shoulder. _How can he allow him to call him that? Xaldin seems like someone with a little more respect for himself than that._ But Xaldin didn't seem to mind at all. He only crossed his arms, solidly.

"He's our Number Three, you know, right after me, so we're pals and all. Isn't that right, Xaldy?"

Xaldin gave Xigbar a little sideways glare, but he didn't deny it.

Xigbar chuckled again and gave one of Xaldin's braids a little twirl before stepping back to Marluxia's side. "Well, well, we better be moving along."

"But _Xiggy_…!" Demyx called, not entirely finished with their argument.

"I'll be back later, geez!"

Demyx started complaining, something about handing off assignments and pulling stunts, and Axel got started, arguing back with him, while Xaldin only sat down on one of the opposite couches and rolled his eyes.

"Let's migrate over here, shall we?" Xigbar pulled Marluxia away from them, into a much quieter…and seemingly oblivious corner.

One young man was sitting on another couch, engrossed in a thick book, while another very large, beefy man stood over him, protectively. The big man turned his head as they approached, like some kind of guard dog alert to a potential trespasser.

"Hey, relax, dude. Just here to introduce our newest member," Xigbar told him, though from Marluxia's viewpoint, this guy seemed like the type that really never relaxed.

He said nothing and only turned towards them, clenching his hands at his sides. He had short, slightly curled auburn hair and a big square jaw, which was also clenched at this moment.

"This is Lexaeus," Xigbar explained, gesturing vaguely to him. "Number Five. He doesn't say much. But he doesn't need to. Just look at that face. That just says it all, doesn't it?" Xigbar chuckled again, and Marluxia found himself wondering why someone didn't just pound him into the nice smooth floor already.

Lexaeus simply nodded a bit to Marluxia and mumbled a low "welcome." And so, Marluxia did the same.

"Don't pick on him, Xigbar," a smooth voice came from the couch. "Or you'll have me to answer to."

"No, no, not to worry," Xigbar brushed it off. "Just doing the introductions. We're all set here."

"Oh, well…" The young man on the couch finally looked up from his book, revealing a face partially covered by overhanging gray-blue hair. "I guess I had better introduce myself as well."

Marluxia moved himself forward again for more hand-shaking.

"Zexion," the young man stated. "Number Six. I trust you'll work hard for our Organization."

"I will. I will work my hardest for my sake and for the sake of all Nobodies…" _I believe that was something Xemnas said…wasn't it? _

Zexion frowned a little, as if detecting that Marluxia was just regurgitating something that had already been said to him. His expression was one of curious concentration. "Hmm…you smell like a fresh spring morning. How interesting…"

Marluxia pulled away, even more confused and somewhat disturbed. _He…he smells people? There's something wrong with that… _

"Zexion's got a sixth sense for those kinds of things," Xigbar explained. "Did your Other like spring a lot or something?"

"I…can't recall," Maluxia admitted…though in reality, he _did_ remember Lumaira loving nature, especially plants…so that might have had something to do with the supposed "spring" smell he had.

"Well, I assume you like warm weather, plants, and flowers," Zexion confirmed. "It will be interesting to have a member with the powers of spring."

Xigbar glanced around the room, at a bit of a loss, just as Zexion was returning to his book. "Looks like we're short a few numbers, here… Where are Cardman and the Vex?"

_Cardman and the Vex? _Marluxia wondered. _Those can't be their real names… _

Zexion glanced back up, putting on a half-annoyed face. "_Luxord_ is out on a mission. He's doing his first solo mission right now, so it's really important. Saïx is supposed to assess his performance and all that. And _Vexen_ is at the C.O. facilities. He left yesterday."

Xigbar shrugged, half to Marluxia, half to himself. "Ah, well. You'll have to meet the two of them later. Luxord's our Number Ten-the newest just before you—I'm sure you'll be going out on a few missions with him. He's polite and a bit formal…a bit cryptic at times, but not bad. And Vexen is just…well, Vexen. You'll catch him skulking about here after he gets back."

"…_Skulking_?" Marluxia questioned.

"Er, yeah…" Xigbar scratched the lobe of his pointed ear. "He's uh…well… You know the guy, Zexion, how would you describe Vexen?"

Zexion turned a page in his book, haphazardly. "He's Vexen."

"Well there you have it."

_Obviously, there's something odd about this guy that they all know about, _Marluxia thought. _Something indescribable…? _

"Alrighty then!" Xigbar spoke loudly, gesturing widely with one arm. "That's us. Organization XI. I suppose I should give you a grand tour of the castle now…eh…I don't wanna."

"I'll do it!" Demyx suddenly and unexpectedly volunteered, jumping up from the couch. "I wanna go on the castle tour!"

"What's _this_?" Xigbar leaped backwards, clutching his hollow chest in utterly feigned shock. "_Our_ Demyx just _volunteered_ to do something? In his right mind? Wait, I need to take a photograph of this rare and wonderful occurrence!"

"Oh, lay off it," Demyx waved at him. "I just want to go for a walk around the castle. I'm bored. If it was actual _work,_ that would be a different story."

"Oh, boy," Axel chuckled to himself. "Good thing Saïx isn't watching us now…or _is_ he…?"

Demyx glanced around frantically. "_He's not, is he_?"

"No, no, go on—I was just messing with you."

"Whoo!" Demyx called. He threw his arms into the air, and his sitar dissipated into a stream of sparkling blue magical particles. "I get to show you around, Mar…Marlo…Marlin…what was your name again?"

Marluxia practiced his annoyed huff. "That's _Marluxia_. How is it that none of you can remember my name correctly?"

"Sorry…it's kinda long," Demyx admitted. "Most of us have nice short names."

"So we're just gonna call you Marly from now on, okay?" Xigbar grinned, stepping up next to him.

Marluxia growled a little, hoping that would give them the picture that he hated that name. Unfortunately, without any feelings, they couldn't be afraid or take the warning seriously.

"Marly it is!" Demyx agreed. "C'mon, Marly, I'll show you the recreational sector first!"

Marluxia only ground his teeth, trying to drown out the sight and sound of the excited mullet-headed boy. He _really _wasn't looking forward to a castle tour with this idiot…but what had to be done had to be done. At least afterwards, he'd know more about the inside of the castle…maybe memorize its layout…and try to get outside. And as much as it pained him, Demyx was two ranks higher than him, as of now. As of now, he was at the bottom…though he hoped to start climbing that ladder very soon. As far as he could tell, if Saïx was Number Seven and second-in-command to the Superior, he could easily make himself third-in-command, even as Number Eleven.

Marluxia faintly nodded as Demyx came to his side. "Well…then let's get this show on the road."

"Follow me!"

Marluxia stared after Demyx's retreating form as he ran down the Grey Area hallway…and with narrowed eyes, envisioned him bowing and running after him, as a servant. Yes…that was what he wanted…what he _needed_. And he'd do anything in his power to get there.

(-)

Marluxia met Luxord the very next day when he came back to the Grey Area for his first mission assignment. The gentlemanly blond was sitting on the same couch Zexion had been sitting on the day before, reading a hand of cards that he had fanned out in his hand.

"Ah," he said, rising as Marluxia approached. "You must be Marluxia, our Number Eleven. You fight with a scythe, don't you? And you came from a small world called Borealis."

Marluxia nodded his head, a bit wary, though his face and body language didn't show it. "How did you know all that?"

"The cards tell me many things…" Luxord collapsed his hand of cards and held the deck in one hand. "They also tell me that we shall not have the opportunity to work together today, but it will indeed come to pass. It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Luxord."

"They told me about you yesterday," Marluxia told him. _And now I know why Xigbar calls him Cardman._ "Can you see the future or something?"

"Oh, no." Luxord scratched his bead a little, thoughtfully. "Time may be my element, but I do not possess the ability to see forwards into the future without turning the time forward myself. But the cards…they can be used to predict many things." His eyes narrowed, almost sinisterly. "And something I also saw about you… In two days' time, you are going to make a terrible mistake. A mistake which you can never reverse."

Marluxia raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? And how often are your cards generally wrong?"

Luxord bowed just a tiny bit. "I am simply giving you fair warning. I cannot control the fate I see in the cards. I am merely their conveyor."

"I see." And so, Marluxia decided right then that Luxord was another member he didn't particularly care for. If this quack was going to go around making ridiculous prophesies about him, he couldn't expect him to be all buddy-buddy with him, no matter that they were number partners.

That day, Saïx got Axel to take Marluxia out to teach him the basics of recon mission procedure, much to both of their dismay. They spent the whole afternoon basically evading each other's comments and restraining themselves from getting into another argument. Not to mention that they both found the mission exceedingly boring.

The next day, Xaldin took him to the training grounds in the castle's front lobby for combat training drills, which was actually quite enjoyable. Xaldin had been quite impressed with his skills in combat. Marluxia had been put through several drills designed to test and develop his awareness and his balance of offense and defense. He was a very swift and powerful fighter, though he needed work on his control. But by the end of the training session, he could almost beat Xaldin in an honest-to-goodness duel.

And in the category of magic, he also made surprising progress. Finally, on the third day, Zexion was drafted to teach Marluxia about magic usage…and to coax out his more latent abilities. He took him out to an unidentified forest area, apparently away from any civilization and any chance of accidentally harming something. The secretive young man had actually been late to their location, portaling in about five minutes after Marluxia.

"Please excuse my tardiness," he spoke, raking one hand through his giant face-bang. "I was assisting Vexen in moving some equipment back into the lower laboratories."

_Vexen…? Oh, yeah, the one I haven't seen…_

As Zexion stepped forward, handing him several flat, multicolored objects and droning on about solar power or something, Marluxia couldn't stop his mind from wandering. _That's why I haven't exactly felt settled yet,_ he realized. _I still haven't met all of the Organization's members. This "Vexen" fellow has been away…but if Zexion was just helping him move things, that must mean he came back, right? Is he going to come to the Grey Area to meet me today? The way they were talking about him… "he's just Vexen"… It's like there's something about him that's strange that they all know about and won't tell me. I don't know him yet…but he could end up being a threat. _

"Did you get all that? You haven't said a word." Zexion's cool voice faded back to his attention as his lecture concluded.

"Oh…yes," Marluxia smoothly answered, and promptly, the flat objects burst into color-coded streams of light, flying around and absorbing into his system. He let out a tiny gasp, feeling their presences bouncing around and welling up within him.

"The first time is always a little strange," Zexion admitted. "But you'll soon get used to that sensation. I happen to enjoy it quite a bit."

_Magic_, Marluxia realized, tapping his chest a little and getting his bearings. _Those things were different types of magic, and now they've all gone inside of my body…meaning I should be able to use them now. _

"Alright, then," Zexion lazily gestured with one hand towards a tree. "Cast Thunder on that tree."

It took Marluxia a little while to pick out which of the energies pinging around in his body was "Thunder", but he managed to catch it, channel it into his right arm…and then release it from his fingertips, watching as a line of lightning bolts rained down from the sky, striking the tree dead center. A few of its higher branches came crashing to the grass below with a muffled, rustling thump.

Zexion crossed his arms. "Good. Now cast Aero on the one next to it." Five seconds later, the second tree was having its branches whipped about in a small tornado of wind.

Zexion nodded approvingly, and with one swift hand gesture, a small black shadow Heartless appeared. "Try to use Fire on anything here, and the whole place is going up in smoke. So I want you to cast Fire on this Heartless. It's only an illusion, though, not a real Heartless. That's my specialty."

Marluxia nodded and picked out the fire energy, blasting it at the illusion-Heartless with everything he had. The vision of the little black creature erupted into crackling flames and disappeared in a cloud of liquid darkness.

"Ah. Good." Zexion's voice was even and distant. "One more to go." With one black glove and the sweep of a sleeve, he pointed backward…to a small bed of cosmos flowers next to the first tree. "For your final test…you must cast Blizzard on these flowers."

Marluxia automatically began to raise his arm. The Blizzard magic was the only energy left in him now, since apparently Zexion had only given him one of each.

But when he pulled it to the surface and prepared to release it…suddenly, he couldn't. The fibers of his arm just froze. The magic halted in its tracks at the edges of his fingertips, and he could feel it sliding, like a coating of water, back down his arm. _I can't…_ he realized. _I can't do it. _

Zexion cocked his head a little. "What's the matter? Finish them and let's be on our way. There's no time for hesitation."

Marluxia's head dropped away from the sight of the brightly-colored little blooming plants. Maybe if he didn't look at them, it would be easier. Desperately, he tried to summon the Blizzard magic back into his hand. It only tugged up a little bit…before retreating to a spot just below his elbow. He couldn't do it. But _why_…? He'd had no problem zapping the tree.

_The lightning didn't destroy the tree,_ he attempted to rationalize. _Neither did the wind. Trees are tall and hardy. But if I cover these flowers with ice…if I freeze them…they will die. _

"I am growing impatient, Number Eleven," Zexion spoke again, using Marluxia's number as a warning. "Just hurry up and cast the magic. You did it perfectly the previous times."

Marluxia forced his eyes closed as another one of those dreamlike visions began to pass through his mind…one of those _memories_. _No! _He berated himself. _This isn't the time to be thinking about that failure Lumaira's life! _But he couldn't help it. The visions were sweeping over him so powerfully that he couldn't even attempt to suppress them now…

A tiny buttercup growing between the concrete cracks of a sidewalk…a single rose lying on a table, wrapped in transparent plastic. Rain beating down on the tiny yellow bell… A bouquet of roses hitting the wall with a fluttery smack, shedding petals all over the floor… The dead, drooping little buttercup. A voice calling his name, telling him to hurry up and get inside and stop staring at that silly flower. Sweeping up the brown, crumbling rose petals… _No. No… NO. _

The cosmos patch began to rise. Their stems lifted from the ground, raising them several feet into the air instantly, as if the rest of them had simply been waiting underground. They began to multiply, bursting into bloom as soon as they left the dirt, spreading out like an infection. Zexion calmly stepped aside as they swept past him, blanketing the forest floor, twining around tree trunks, choking the life out of small bushes.

"No!" Marluxia cried aloud, and when he did, a fresh shower of cosmos followed, filling tree branches, eating through holes in the wall, burying small animals.

One white cosmos even dropped onto Zexion's hair. He quickly flicked it off and held out one hand. "Marluxia! Calm yourself! Calm yourself, we're done!"

"Uh…" Marluxia finally looked up, letting this world come back into focus. He'd blacked out in his memories for a moment there and hadn't even noticed. He returned to a world absolutely overgrown with multicolored flowers. He even felt them around the ankles of his boots. _Did _I_ make them grow like that? I didn't know there was a type of magic that could do that._

A tiny smile graced Zexion's face as he lightly stepped through the flower carpet. "We may return now…with the fortunate report that you've discovered your element."

"Element…?" Marluxia now remembered…each member of the Organization had his own elemental power. So these flowers…were the result of his element?

"Plants," Zexion clearly stated. "Or more specifically, flowers. You didn't flinch at attacking the trees, but couldn't bring yourself to harm the flowers. Then, when I tried to force you to do it, you lost control. I knew it. That is why I put you through this specific trial—to bring out your powers." Zexion nodded and gestured again to open a dark corridor. "You will need more training, of course, to better learn how to control your element and apply it best. But for now, let's return. Superior will be pleased with your progress."

Marluxia followed him, a bit perplexed and lost from his encounter just now…but just before he stepped into the returning dark corridor, he looked back at the flower-world behind him…and cracked a context-appropriate smile.

_My power…_ He thought. _My power is incredibly strong and beautiful. …Soon, flowers will cover the rest of the worlds…just like this one. _

(-)

If Marluxia had had a heart, he would have been feeling very good that evening. Happy…probably humming a little tune. As it was, he just had the satisfying knowledge of being accomplished…but that would do nicely instead.

A few of the Organization members had teased him about his new powers (particularly Axel and Xigbar), but the majority had sent their congratulations and expressed their hopes in his future. _He _knew his element was extremely valuable…and already, his head was filling with ways in which he could use his newfound control over flowers to achieve all sorts of strange and diabolical things…when suddenly, something else was brought back to his attention.

As he was walking up the stairs back to his room, he passed by Zexion and Xaldin, who were on their way down…and caught a snatch of their conversation in the process.

"Yeah, he's still in the lower labs," Zexion said. "I suspect he won't come up again for another few days."

"Is that really necessary?" Xaldin's gruff voice responded. "I understand that his work is important, but not showing his face for six days straight…"

"I know what you mean…sometimes, I think…"

Though before Marluxia could find out what Zexion thought, the two of them disappeared into one of the lower corridors and his voice drifted away. It wasn't hard to figure out who they were talking about, though, and the presence came flooding back into Marluxia's mind, overtaking any of his former thoughts about power and horticulture.

_Vexen…I won't get to meet him for another couple of days…? _He clenched one gloved fist at his side. Part of this just seemed extremely insulting to him. Someone _had_ to have told this guy by now that they had a new member. Zexion at least had seen him recently. He knew, and yet he didn't even care to come out of his little hidey-hole and say "nice to meet you". It didn't matter how important this "work" of his was—as the newest member, he was just as—no, he was _more _important!

"Lower laboratory"…he remembered where that was. He searched through the mental map he'd filed away from when Demyx had given him the grand tour. The lower laboratory was on the second basement level of the castle, in the left wing, one of the large doors emblazoned with a warning sign along with the typical Nobody symbol. He could get there in no time. It really wasn't hard to navigate.

For a moment, Marluxia stood at the threshold of his hallway, glancing down it, considering. He was kind of looking forward to relaxing in his room for a while and cooking up some plans from the comfort of his own bed… But no. No. He took one solid step away from home base again, heading back down the same steps he'd just climbed. No. He was going to go take care of this right here and right now. He was going to find this Vexen man and confront him. He wasn't going to stand for this treatment anymore.

Marluxia strode down the steps of the central staircase, down several levels, the ends of his coat swishing out behind him. _I don't care_, he told himself. _If I get in trouble with Saïx for entering the lab without permission. I'm not going to lie around for another two to three days waiting to meet someone who could potentially pose a threat to me. This is ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous. And Xemnas should've called a meeting. If this guy didn't want to meet me, he should've forced him to! I'm a member of this Organization and I deserve the same treatment as any other member! _

Already, he could tell that this man was someone he would definitely not get along with…but even through all of his personal ranting, he found himself…immensely curious. After all, what kind of crazy person would lock himself up in a laboratory for days on end? In either case, the path was clear. He had to do this.

Marluxia looked up, finally, to realize that he'd arrived in front of the giant metal door. He gave it a patented scowl. Of course, the door was sealed shut. He'd have to find a way to force it open somehow. Fortunately, he'd taken a moment to examine his options earlier.

There was magic, of course, but he had none of that now, and who knows if it would have been powerful enough. There was stabbing a hole straight through the door with his scythe, which would probably work, only then he'd be in even worse trouble for destroying the Organization's property (…though Xigbar did seem to be able to get away with that quite a lot). And then…there was the new little trick he'd just developed that afternoon.

Marluxia stepped forward, to the tiny keyhole on the lab's left sliding door…and held out one hand. Slowly, a little green vine began to grow straight out of his palm, slithering like a live snake into the keyhole and wriggling itself into the correct position. Tiny thorns clicked out to fill the grooves and ridges where the lab key would fit, growing and expanding with a barely-audible stretching noise. Finally, the keyhole was full of stiff, sturdy plant, and Marluxia broke the vine off from his palm, a white rose springing into being where he detached it. He smiled to himself, proudly. It didn't hurt at all, he found. It felt no worse than releasing a bit of magic. And his power could do some pretty amazing things.

Now even more confident in his abilities and his worth, Marluxia gripped the end of his new rose-key with absolutely certainty…and twisted it until it clacked into place, sweeping the ominous sliding door aside.

Immediately, he coughed a little as a strange low haze swept around his body, escaping in wisps out the opened door. He had to blink a few times to get his eyes adjusted to the smoky film and the dim lighting in here.

_I'll have to search around a bit to find him_, he realized. _I can't believe this insufferable man…even making me _look_ for him after I've broken into his sanctuary. Just what is his problem? _

Marluxia pressed one arm to his pink bangs, effectively shielding his face from any other oncoming clouds of mist. _And what is with this smoke anyway? How can _anyone_ stand this environment for more than five minutes?_

Maybe Vexen was some kind of alternative life form…one that didn't mind the smoke…an android, perhaps. That was it. He had to be a robot. That was why no one could describe him, why he hadn't yet appeared, why he didn't care about greeting their new member. He was only programmed to work.

_Maybe I'll be able to use this robot to my advantage_, Marluxia thought. _I came at a good time, then. If I can get a hold of it…figure out how it works…I can even restructure it to do _my_ bidding_.

Carefully, he made his way through the lab, which was actually quite large. He passed tables piled high with papers, a counter jammed full of glass beakers, test tubes, and other strange, swirly containers, a large crate-type thing, an enormous machine which involved a conveyor belt and some type of screen, various bent, twisted metal shapes, and disturbingly enough, a wall full of cages, from which a series of low grumbling sounds was rolling.

_Well, just what I'd expect from a laboratory. _

Suddenly, Marluxia noticed something moving amongst the mist, next to a line of large machines that looked like computers. Something was…swaying…

"Augh!" Suddenly, it lunged towards him, whipping appendages and spiraling in the air, just glancing by his right shoulder. Marluxia turned to see a long white figure half-flying half-dancing away into the distant mist, towards the door.

_Just a Dusk_, he realized. _Nothing to be concerned about._ He'd already beaten up a small hoard of these lesser minion Nobodies during his combat training, and he was made to understand that some of the Organization members used them to perform minor tasks for them. This one had probably been helping out in the lab. But had it been standing there next to the computers the entire time…?

Marluxia narrowed his eyes against the mist again, and carefully moved in the direction from which the Dusk had come. A little more…there… There was another door there, cracked open. The Dusk must have come from that room, leaving the door open. He'd have to check it.

Carefully, cautiously, Marluxia reached out, pressing the door open with one hand. It made no noise as it swung open, revealing a second, somewhat smaller room. He soundlessly stepped inside. And froze.

It was much less smoky in here, though a few little clouds were beginning to filter in…and so, the view was perfectly clear. The same kinds of metallic piles of random equipment were leaning against the side walls. Piles of wires and packages of unidentified material…tall, humming silver chests…scattered papers, long printouts spread haphazardly, tables and chairs, another case-type box… But something about this room was very, very…_very_ different.

At the far end were two enormous…_tanks_ of some sort, filled with vaguely pink fluid. Tiny objects were suspended inside them, too small for Marluxia to make out at this distance. But the one thing that was unmistakable…was the tall black-clothed figure standing in front of them. His back was turned, straight blond hair reaching to his shoulder-blades, his coat so long it touched the floor like a dress.

_Vexen…_ Marluxia was ready to just march on up and confront him, loudly announce his arrival, demand an explanation…but somehow, for now, he couldn't. Vexen was doing something… Something really strange was going on here, and he wanted to see.

The man had both of his gloves removed…and he was pressing his bare hands to the bases of the tanks, one to each, connecting to some type of pad.

_A handprint-scanning device? _Marluxia guessed. But what happened next would confuse and shock him even more.

Vexen extended his arms…and suddenly, a concentration of light erupted from his chest with so much force that his hair fluttered back a bit. It shone around his figure, highlighting his waist and straightened arms. It even seemed that it was travelling down his arms, racing and pulsing through his system as if across two wires, down to his hands, down to his fingers…down, into the tanks to which he was connected.

Marluxia could only gape on as he watched the light—the power—the magic—the _whatever_ this was—pump from the blond man's body into the pink tanks for another couple of minutes…draining…from him into whatever was contained within.

For a second, the pink substance flashed a couple of times, as if becoming infused with this light…and then, suddenly, he yanked his hands away. The light made a sharp crackling noise, as if being broken apart, and immediately, it reversed its flow, shooting up Vexen's arms and burying back into his chest. He clutched the spot tightly, staunching the wound, and waiting for it to stop.

Marluxia was completely stunned. _What…what _was_ that? _His mind whirled with possibilities. Vexen was obviously giving some type of power to something…but _what_, and for what reason? _I'm getting the sense…that I shouldn't be seeing this…_

But it was too late now. It was too late for anything. The light flickered out, and Vexen removed his hands with a little groan.

_Move!_ Marluxia's mind yelled at him. _You need to get out of here! Catch him on the way out! This isn't the time or place to be…! _But once again, it was too late.

Vexen turned. And for the first time, they came face-to-face…in silent shock and the memory of horror.


	2. The Siphoning Process

This chapter came out a little bit longer, because these two just won't _stop it_! They made me go on for a bit more pages than I had originally intended. They ended up taking some things in a different direction than I had intended as well. The major plot details are already planned out, but all of these little minor encounters just sort of happen on their own.

The thing I'm most worried about with this chapter is that Vexen's sciencey stuff seems a bit implausible. There is no way you would be able to do the things he does with science. But I always considered his "science" to be more like half-science half-magic anyway. I also realize that part of Vexen's secret may also seem like an "excuse", and technically it is. But it's also the plot point that drives this story. No, I don't actually believe this about him. But it was just a terrible plot bunny that wouldn't leave me alone.

Also, pay attention to Vexen's lectures about the "essential-heart" and "no-feelings"! It's what I'm using to define "heart" in this story and explain Nobody "emotions".

Next update is...I have no idea. But not before this entire story becomes AU in September.

I own nothing! Haha, I got Xemnas's element!

But without further adieu, enjoy the Vexiness.

(-)

Chapter 2: The Siphoning Process

_SLAM!_

In an instant, Marluxia found himself rocketing backwards, colliding hard and painfully against the side wall. Two large, bony claw-hands squeezed his shoulders, pinning him firmly in a vise-grip with a surprising amount of strength. In another instant, Marluxia found a face obscuring his vision, narrow green eyes flashing into his own, just above a pair of prominent cheekbones. Two long blond bangs swung down, almost brushing his chest. That face was so…twisted, snarling, furious, enraged… Marluxia was immediately stunned. He'd never seen a Nobody displaying _that_ level of emotion on his face before. If he hadn't known better, he might have thought this man was really, truly angry with him. That face might have stricken pure fear into his own heart…it certainly looked scary enough.

"…_Did you see_?" Vexen all but spat into Marluxia's face.

It took all the control he'd learned in combat training to stop Marluxia from kicking him in the stomach...or another sensitive body area. Not that he could move much in the first place anyway. A failed kick would only serve to make this situation worse.

"I…I saw _something_," he firmly told him. "But I don't know what it _was_ I saw."

Vexen growled with wonderfully feigned frustration, gnashing his teeth together. "You must be the _neophyte_, heh? So rudely bursting in here uninvited, unannounced… I'm sure I locked that door—you broke in, didn't you? You _broke in_ to my laboratory all on your own. I'm reporting you this… You…_You_…"

At last, the reactionary shock in Marluxia's nerves was fading away as he watched this older man splutter with complete disbelief. He set his face into a smooth, undaunted expression. "Well, that was a lovely introduction. I have to say, you're certainly the most violent Organization member I've met. Serves you right for ignoring me. I will not be ignored."

"_Ignoring_ you?" Vexen's left eye and his bottom lip were twitching with incredulity. "_Ignoring you_? You _break into my lab_ just because you say I was _ignoring you_? I can't believe you would…the _audacity_ to…"

Marluxia thought a smirk would be appropriate right now. _This is so…entertaining. This guy's so…high-strung. He has the most amusing reactions. _Vexen was now giving him the most convincing performance he'd yet seen of possessing a heart.

"It certainly seemed like you were ignoring me. Everyone else came up to greet me the first chance they got, but no, not you. You don't even know my name, do you?"

"It's Marluxia," Vexen filled his voice with venom as he glared back into his blue eyes. "Zexion told me all about you yesterday."

"Oh, so you're just using Zexion as your little courier boy, hmm? _You're_ too _high and mighty _to come learn someone's name yourself."

Vexen growled again, but somehow managed to restrain himself from snapping straight back at him. "Listen. I don't care what this is all about or whose fault it is or any of that! The point is…that you _saw_ me…at the tanks, didn't you?"

Marluxia raised an eyebrow, playing with him. "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't-what's it to you?"

"You _did_! I _know_ you did, you imbecile!" Vexen paused to take in a deep, calming breath. "Now. The point here is…now that you've seen it, I cannot allow you to leave this laboratory alive and with your freedom intact."

Marluxia leveled a challenging gaze straight back at him. No one would threaten _him_ like that. If he wanted him dead, he was going to be sorry he ever spoke those words. Marluxia spread the fingers of his right hand and prepared to summon his scythe.

"But not to worry, I don't intend to kill you. That would only make me a traitor for eliminating one of our own members, wouldn't it?"

Vexen's grip on Marluxia's shoulders was gradually loosening, and he found he could move around a little against the wall now. But that brought the idea to his attention. If he seriously injured Vexen, would the other Organization members be angry with him? Would he be able to write it off as self-defense? No…no, now was not the time. He had to earn their trust and their approval first. Darned plots…he'd have to sacrifice a lot to be able to pull this off…

Vexen had finally composed himself and carefully removed his hands from Marluxia's shoulders, straightening to his full height…which Marluxia noticed was just over six feet. "Excuse me for treating you with such a firm hand. It is simply required in this situation. If you knew exactly what you were getting yourself into, you'd understand. Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Vexen, Number Four of the—HEY!"

Just because Marluxia couldn't attack Vexen didn't mean he still couldn't run away from him. Now that he was free, he made a dash for it during Vexen's little speech. He sprinted as fast as his legs would take him out the back door and towards the big sliding lab doors. He dodged table edges and leaped over equipment strewn over the floor as he plowed through the mist of the laboratory.

A giant glint of silver caught his eye, and he headed straight for it…until suddenly, as soon as he got close, a clear solid sheen burst into being right over the door. Once the mist had cleared enough for him to see, Marluxia realized that it was _ice_…a wall of thick ice had coated the doorway, preventing him from reaching it. _What in the world…? _

He turned his head back towards the inner lab, through the mist…to see the vague figure of Vexen standing in the back doorway, arms extended, panting a little with exhaustion. _What…? _Marluxia thought. He _did that? But even a Blizzaga spell wouldn't be able to create a sheet of ice like this. Is that…his element? Ice?_ _…Darn it. My flowers won't be able to cut through that. _

"H-Halt!" Vexen's shaky, strained, high-pitched voice called out, even as his legs were shaking, threatening to give out on him. He had to detain Marluxia, no matter what…no matter if he suffered. Everything depended on this! "You will not leave this lab until I've finished with you. I am prepared to do…everything in my power to keep you here until the time is right. Do you understand?"

Marluxia snorted, a noise he found perfectly appropriate to express the absurdity of this situation. "How pathetic. A mere sheet of ice won't stop me. Although my power is useless against it, you're forgetting that I still have my weapon!"

He extended one arm, spreading his palm and calling his scythe to him. A small concentration of yellow particles began to gather in his hand…and then, suddenly, they scattered again, zooming off in every direction, until they simply fizzled out, like embers. "What the…?"

"Weapons are forbidden inside the laboratory." The smirk on Vexen's face now only made Marluxia want to march over there and knock his lights out even more. "I have suppressed the magic particles used in weapon summons within these walls. It prevents them from congregating. Instead of coming together and forming into your weapon, the particles react to the negative gaseous anti-particles I've spread across the room. They simply scatter whenever they get near each other. The same goes for me, of course, but it's a small sacrifice to pay." _It was entirely necessary to develop an anti-weapons barrier in this lab, considering how many times Xigbar has laid waste to it with those silly energy-guns of his._ _Speaking of which, I really should weapons-proof my facilities at Castle Oblivion as well._

Marluxia ground his teeth. _Dammit. Ah, well. He said he's going to let me go eventually, though, right? But…what is he going to _do _with me in that time? _

Vexen was trembling even more violently now…he knew that if he didn't get somewhere soon to rest, he was going to collapse-he'd used far too much energy in the past ten minutes—but he couldn't let this uppity little neophyte see his weakness.

Firstly, he reached over to a switch in the side of the left wall, turning on a giant vented fan in the ceiling, which promptly began to suck up the lingering smoke from his last experiment. Soon, the visibility was returning, and Marluxia could really see how big the lab was, and how much…_junk_ it was filled with. Piles of papers and discarded knickknacks were sitting in heaps on the floor, near desks. More tables and machines that he hadn't noticed before came into view. The whole room was a lot wider than he'd initially thought. A miniature library was stacked against the far right wall, and a few smaller tank-devices were sitting in the corners of the left.

Vexen moved carefully forward to a long table near the center of the room, gripping the end of one chair to steady himself. "Sit," he commanded, leaving no room for argument. "We have much to discuss."

As much as it pained Marluxia to follow these orders, he grudgingly consented that he really didn't have a choice in the matter. Not if he wanted to build up a good standing with the Organization. _This was a bad idea_, he told himself, as he made his way to the table, skirting around a few boxes of supplies. _A very bad idea. I never expected Vexen to be like _this_. _

They sat down at the table across from each other, and Vexen had to rest his forehead in his hand for a few moments to wait for his light-headedness to pass. His eyes burned for a second, then, gradually, the pain faded away…though he still felt a little bit dizzy and disoriented.

Marluxia only glared over at him. With the smoke gone, and now at a good distance, he could finally get a long, appraising look at his final teammate. From the front, Vexen looked much more…old. He looked the same age as Xigbar, if not even older, and right now there was a strange grey tinge to his face. His coat was baggy on him, there were dark bruises below his eyes, and the ends of his front two bangs looked frazzled. _He looks a little worse for the wear_, he thought. _If I wanted to, I could beat him in a regular old fistfight right now. But I can't. Poor baby…_

Part of him looked down on Vexen…but strangely enough, another part was reacting in a much more positive way. It was like part of his brain was telling him to help him. _Help him? Pssh, why would I want to help him? He's the one who's keeping me in this state. _But for whatever reason, just looking at him made him want to…do something to help. He couldn't stand looking at this…withering shell of a man.

Vexen pinched the bridge of his nose and regained his bearings, though he still felt woozy and wished he could go lie down for a good ten minutes. He sighed. "As I was saying, before you so rudely ran off on me… I am this Organization's Number Four. I expect to be treated as such. Your behavior today was entirely unacceptable, and under normal circumstances, I would report you to the Superior immediately. However, due to our rather unique situation, I will pardon you for entering my lab unauthorized. What I am about to tell you, you must not repeat to anyone else, either within the Organization or outside of it. It is classified information of the highest order. I would let you off without telling you at all, but I know if I didn't, you'd just run off to Saïx or Xigbar or some other buffoon and ask them about what you've seen today. And I can't have that."

_A secret so classified that no one else in the Organization even knows about it? _Marluxia considered. _This could really be useful information…but then again, _why_ does no one else in the Organization know about it? _

He folded his arms over the table, meeting Vexen's eyes, challengingly. "Oh? And why not? Are you doing something down here against their wishes? Planning on betraying the rest of the Organization, hmm?"

"I am _not _a traitor!" Vexen had to restrain himself from leaping out of his seat and slamming the table with pretend rage. Sometimes his emotional memories were a bit too strong and he ended up going overboard with his reactions. Apparently, his Other had been a very emotionally sensitive person. "If you would allow me to explain…"

"Since you _need_ to explain it, that leads me to believe you're doing something illicit."

"Will you just _listen_ and stop making such needless and preposterous assumptions?"

Marluxia finally just decided to back off. He'd never get out of here if he kept delaying Vexen's drawn-out spiel. And if he kept on taunting him, the poor old man was liable to burst a blood vessel. _It's fascinating, though_, he couldn't help thinking. _For a Nobody to display so much emotion… _He made some really interesting expressions, too. Just watching Vexen was somehow entertaining.

Vexen took another deep breath, forcing his memories back down into the back of his mind. "Xemnas knows. These are his orders. He and I are the only ones who know. It is a transaction between us. A project…a mission, if you will."

Marluxia blinked, and Vexen could sense that he wasn't entirely getting this information straight. He sighed. "I am the last remaining scientific researcher and practitioner within the Organization. Most of my time is spent doing extensive research on the properties of the heart and performing experiments which can help us come closer to understanding the ways of the heart and obtaining hearts of our own. Currently, our only feasible method for obtaining hearts is through the use of Kingdom Hearts. I assume the other Organization members have already told you about Kingdom Hearts."

Marluxia nodded. The Organization's goal—to obtain control of Kingdom Hearts, the congregation of the universe's hearts, and obtain hearts of their own. To do that, they needed to feed hearts into it, call forth enough hearts to summon Kingdom Hearts into existence…then fill it with enough hearts for it to be at full power. However, they currently had no way of doing that.

"Xemnas has asked me to create replicas—human-like clones, if you will—of the ones chosen to wield the Keyblade. A replica with the ability to use the Keyblade will be able to collect hearts for us. However, it is extremely difficult to create such exact, perfect beings. To create lives…out of nothing more than a few tiny strands of DNA. The human body is a complicated enough system to exactly simulate…and the human brain is more advanced than any computer. It is far more complicated to create life than just to construct a palette of separate body parts and assemble them. I am dealing with real organic material here, not a metallic robot. …Are you following me, neophyte?"

"Ah, what?" Marluxia's head snapped back around. His eyes had wandered off to examine the rest of the room, silently wondering what some of the more complicated machinery was used for. As far as he knew, after the word "Keyblade", the rest of his rant was entirely irrelevant.

Vexen groaned, leaning against the table and massaging his temples. Not only was he still weak from energy drain, but he was also beginning to get a terrible headache. "Well, no matter. The important part you need to remember is this… What you saw today were my two prototypes for the replicas. I have been working on them for quite a while…even within the life of my Other, I was researching the possibilities of human cloning without the use of a mother organism. Within those two tanks lie my most precious creations."

"So what the heck were you doing to them?" Marluxia tried to prod the explanations along, before Vexen got lost on another long ramble about his previous life. "It looked like you were zapping them with magic!"

"…Well, yes…" Vexen's piercing green eyes turned away from Marluxia's now, staring down into the tiles of the floor. "From your perspective, it would seem that way, wouldn't it?"

_Uh, _yeah_. No kidding. _For someone who was supposed to be a scientific genius, Vexen sure was stupid sometimes.

He took another deep breath, folding his hands together over the tabletop and gathering his courage to look Marluxia in the eye again. "…The process is called 'siphoning'."

Strangely enough, after he'd begun, the reactionary tension began to lift from his shoulders and he almost felt… relieved. Marluxia noticed this sudden change in attitude as well. Now it was almost like…he _wanted_ to talk about it. He'd been holding it inside him for so long that now, it was a relief just to have _someone_ else feeling its burden.

"It's necessary in order to create any kind of semi-human life without the use of a mother organism. Life cannot just come into being out of nowhere-it needs another life to sustain it in its weeks of initial development. I've discovered a type of "life force" particle that exists in organic matter. It's used to create Potions, if you must know. In that case, they use plants and sometimes small animals. But the creation of a human life requires the specific properties that only come from a human-typed life force."

Marluxia's eyes widened just a little as he was starting to put the pieces together. Life force…magic…creations… "So you've been using yourself...?"

"Correct." Vexen nodded, distantly. "Creating these replicas requires a sacrifice of my own life force. I've been siphoning it constantly since my previous life. Naturally, it takes a toll on my body—losing life force is the same as losing time from your life. In the years of actual time, my age is 26. But by now, I have lost a total of 16 years, and in the years of the state of my organic material, I am 42. By my calculations and the rate at which these projects will take to complete, I have about 25 years of time left to live. Of course, that depends on the success rate of these current projects, and if I'll be required to take on any other similar projects in the future. Then I would set my time limit at 18 years the most."

"So you're actually 26?" Marluxia was a bit blown away by this revelation.

"Exactly. My body only appears older as a result of the siphoning process and the life force I have lost."

"But…but they can't…Xemnas ordered you to do that?"

"He didn't order me specifically to drain my life force, but he did order the creation of the replicas. He knows about the siphoning process and approves of it."

"Isn't that the same as ordering you dead?" Marluxia wasn't really sure why this fact was nagging at him…but it was completely unfair. It wasn't right, it was injustice, it was callousness…it was Xemnas using his position as Superior to take advantage of his subordinates…using them as an energy source. And from what he knew…what he remembered about the world…he wasn't going to stand for that. He clenched his hands into fists, suddenly rising from the table. "He can't do that! He just can't do that! As a Nobody, without that process you're going through, you'd live forever. He can't just take your life away like that!"

"And suddenly you care?" Vexen gave him a skeptical look with half-lidded eyes. "A few minutes ago, you couldn't wait to rip me apart with a giant scythe."

"I-I wouldn't agree to it, no matter who in the Organization it was. It's not right!"

"And therein lies the problem." Vexen reached across the table as if to grab Marluxia's hand and force him back down, though he couldn't reach. Marluxia noticed and grudgingly complied. This was just so pathetic. Though he still couldn't leave the lab, because the sheet of ice was in the way. "If you tell any of the other members, they might protest it. They might put a stop to it. Especially if Zexion or Lexaeus found out. Both of them still hold fond memories of my Other. The three of our past selves were friends…"

"And what's so bad about that?" Marluxia was protesting right now. "You can't just let Xemnas use people like that! We're supposed to be an Organization, aren't we? What kind of Organization sacrifices its own members?"

"Come now. There's no need for such a display." Vexen waved a hand at him again, as if trying to get him to calm down.

_Heh, talk about the pot calling the kettle black…_

"This is just the sort of disaster we need to avoid. Imagine if everyone else in the Organization reacted in the same way. We'd have a mass mutiny on our hands. Imagine the treachery, the bloodshed…it would fracture us completely. Plus, without the Replica Project, we might never be able to obtain our own hearts."

"What good is a heart?" Marluxia questioned—the first time he'd ever really thought about it. "Why is having a heart so important? Why do all of you want hearts?"

"Hearts are very powerful," Vexen explained, giving him the barebones theory. "With a heart, you'd be able to feel. You remember your Other's life, of course, and he could feel...you remember emotions…but you cannot recall the _feel _of those emotions. With a heart, you will be able to do things…get angry, be happy, feel the bittersweet pain of sorrow, fall in love…be a human. Be a complete being."

Marluxia briefly closed his eyes and tried to imagine this "feel". It was difficult, but he thought he could almost call it up…as if it was lying just out of reach. Suddenly, he had the terrible sense that something was missing from him. Like there was a giant plug inside him, screwed on tight and preventing this "feel" from bursting through. Hearts…that was what it was. He was missing his heart. Hearts were power… The power to rise above it all…to be in control...the power to live…

"I want…a heart," he whispered, finally realizing it for himself. "I need a heart."

"We all do," Vexen replied, giving him an eyes-rolled expression as if to say, "I should think you'd have already discovered that." "If you want a heart and if you want everyone else to be able to receive a heart as well…you will let me go through with this."

Marluxia took a deep breath, settling back down into his seat and anchoring himself firmly back into reality. He had to get out of here as soon as possible. Once again, his entire world had been rocked, and something had been changed inside him…but now wasn't the time to take a few hours and think it through. He'd be trapped in this dingy, smelly laboratory all night, and it was getting late already. There were bound to be more missions for him in the morning…and he'd wanted some time to himself before going to bed. This whole "heart" business could wait…he just had to take care of this Vexen issue for now.

"Okay," he immediately replied, though a part of his insides squeezed tight. "Fine. Go on with your suicide mission. What does it matter to me? Besides being completely unjustified, of course. But if you want to kill yourself, that's your business."

Vexen moved to massaging his forehead…his headache was really escalating now. _Dammit_, he resented. _I'm going to have to take an aspirin after this. _"I can tell you're lying. I can tell you don't really care about me…but you care a lot about putting a stop to our Superior's practices. If I let you go, you're going to tell someone about it, and there's nothing I can do about it…unless I bind you to it."

_Bind me to it? _Marluxia pictured all kinds of "binding" processes—contracts, blood oaths, burns, curses… Lumaira had had to sign a contract before… It was a contract he'd regretted…just before his memories faded. He wasn't going to let this happen to him again.

Vexen moved, carefully and slowly, to a metal desk next to the table they were seated at. He picked up a syringe, opened one desk drawer, and pressed the needle down into something inside. When he pulled back and made his way back into his seat, he was holding a needle filled with opaque liquid.

Marluxia fixed his eyes on it, pointedly giving it a suspicious look. He knew this guy was a scientist, but did he have to solve everything with some kind of freaky chemical?

"This is a contractual serum," Vexen began to explain, raising the syringe higher and watching Marluxia's eyes follow. "Though I doubt it matters to you _what_ it's called. No matter what I say, you're going to think it's some kind of poison."

"And how are you going to prove it's _not _poison?" Marluxia asked. "Do I have to wait another two hours for some kind of chemical test?"

"No," Vexen firmly stated. "Because I'm using it on myself, too."

Quickly and effortlessly, he lifted his left sleeve, inserted the needle into his exposed upper arm, pushed half of the liquid inside, and removed it. Marluxia couldn't help but gawk a little at his utter disregard for the needle…it was as if he'd just flicked a hair off his shoulder or something. He reached into one pocket and pulled out his gloves, along with a handful of sanitizing wipes and sprays, and he proceeded with cleaning and removing the blood and skin particles from the needle's tip.

"This is a type of chemical which-"

"Isn't that unsanitary?" Marluxia wrinkled his nose at the needle. "I know you're cleaning it and all, but aren't you supposed to never re-use needles on someone else? What if…you have AIDS?"

Vexen paused to give him another incredulous "what am I going to do with this idiot" look. "I do not have AIDS. What in this nonexistent world gave you that idea? And normally, yes, I would use a second needle, but if you'd just let me finish _explaining_, you'd understand why, in this case, the sharing of the needle is important."

He finished wiping the skinny pointed tip off. "Give me your arm."

"Aren't you going to explain first?"

"You missed your chance. Give me your arm."

Marluxia grumbled and complained to himself, but finally just rolled up his sleeve and slid his arm over the table. If this crazy serum of his did anything to hurt him, he'd be going straight to Saïx. He'd say that he'd run into Vexen in the lower hallways while he'd been going down to the library to further his knowledge and the man had gone psycho on him. He'd make sure he received an equal or greater amount of pain in consequence.

There was a tiny sharp pinch as Vexen pierced his skin with the needle, emptying the rest of its contents into his bloodstream, and Marluxia cringed, just for effect.

"Would you like a band-aid?" Vexen snickered as he removed the needle and carefully wrapped it up. "Pink with flowers on it, maybe?"

Marluxia pulled his arm away, yanking his sleeve down. It was time to get serious again. "All I need is for you to tell me what the _hell_ you just did to me…because believe me, old man, if it is intended to harm me in any way, you will sorely regret this moment."

Vexen simply shook his head as he pocketed his needle—he'd deal with putting this stuff away later. "It will not harm you as long as you do not let it. Inside of both of us now is my specially-made contractual serum. It is made from a substance whose molecules are very tightly bound…they want to join back together whenever they are separated. I have modified this substance to be time-released, so that these molecules are only active for two hours each day. That means…"

Marluxia stared after him, a tiny reaction of panic welling up in his chest. "For two hours each day…we have to…"

"Be near each other, yes," Vexen finished. "Otherwise, the molecules will cause us both great pain as they try to get closer to their counterparts. For two hours each day…you will now be my new lab assistant."

"…Oh." Marluxia banished the terrifying images that had been flooding through his head. "I was thinking of something else."

"What else would you _think _I had in mind?"

"Oh…nothing." _I'm never telling him_ that_. Oh, God, no…_

"This will be my way of keeping tabs on you. If you so much as utter a word against me to anyone else, the serum will react negatively, and may severely injure you. Of course, it works the same way for me, and I will be unable to speak ill of you to others either."

_This is just preposterous_, Marluxia thought. _He can force me to be his lab assistant and to keep quiet about him just by using some injection? Maybe he's bluffing…just trying to scare me into doing what he wants rather than face this imagined "pain". He probably just injected us with water. But I'll go along with it…just so I can get out of here already_.

"And _now _you can go, as you've so desperately wanted to do for the past half hour," Vexen announced, as if reading his mind. He raised one hand and carefully removed his ice-barrier. "I expect to see you back here tomorrow at around the same time today."

"Yeah, sure," Marluxia glanced at a clock on the far wall and read the time—9PM. Like he'd be coming back here tomorrow at 9PM. "I never want to see this place again."

Then, before Vexen had a chance to reply, he turned and strode confidently out the re-opened sliding door, never looking back.

Vexen stared after him, fixing his eyes on the closed metal door in the spot where he'd disappeared. _This was probably a very bad idea_, he realized. _I'm going to have to put up with _that _for two hours every day. But it was the only solution I could think of. Desperate situations call for very drastic and sacrificial measures. As long as the serum works as tested, and he never tells any of the others...the Project is far too important to be stopped by something like _this_. _

Vexen groaned again, long and low, finally relaxing his body and letting his weakness show. His head sank onto the table, and right now, he didn't even have the energy to pick himself up and relocate to his lab cot.

_But maybe, _he thought, just dimly aware, _it's a good thing he's coming back. I'm going to need the help now…_ And with that, he fell unconscious right then and there…and didn't wake up again until almost seven o' clock the next evening.

(-)

_Three beetles crawled up the wooden frame-posts, shifting their little brown bodies to and fro. There was a layer of dust and dirt-crud wedged in between the walls and floorboards. Toes pressed into the black-spotted wood floor, toenails bare and glossy. A half-ripped, half-crumpled paper was stuck to the wall with a wad of gum, the days of the week written across the top in big, loopy script. A chart…a schedule. _

_A light thumping and the drop in the ground announced the arrival of a round-faced boy, his face confused, worried, slightly fearful. A squeaky little voice chattered out of him, while a slightly deeper, calmer one replied in a perfectly even tone. "_Squeeak-weeek wiik squeakity squeakity wiiiiiiiik_!" _

_And then other fragments of images zoomed past him, brushing his ears. Memories within memories. Pain. Exhaustion. Fear. It's not that scary. They tell them it's scarier than it really is. Coldness. Hardness. Pain. Heat. Cold. Emotional…emotional pain. He tried to turn away, but he couldn't. He couldn't…because he'd bonded himself to his own eternal misery. _

(-)

Marluxia didn't sleep very well that night. He kept having dreams about that wretched Lumaira's past life, and they kept waking him up. Dreams of things he really didn't care to remember. It wasn't as if they actually bothered him, being a Nobody…but they were just annoying and persistent, and Marluxia resented the constant reminders of how pathetic he had been as a human. It was probably because of his encounter with Vexen. A few things last night had stirred up these unwanted memories…and now, he had to work to get them to go away.

Marluxia sat on the edge of his bed, naked, rubbing his blurry eyes and shaking his head, trying to banish them into the back of his mind. _Curse that man…_ he thought. _This is all his fault._

And, strangely enough, that seemed to work. The memories faded as he focused on how much he disliked Vexen, and he found that if he just kept himself focused on hating the creepy scientist, they wouldn't come back. _I hate him…I hate him…I hate him, I hate him…_

He repeated this mantra over and over as he got dressed, groomed himself, and made his way down the castle's nearly endless hallways. He joined several other Organization members for breakfast in the Fruitless Mess Hall (which thankfully, wasn't literally fruit-less), and made his way to the Grey Area along with Lexaeus, Axel, Xigbar, and Luxord. They'd all been called in for missions the previous day—except for Xigbar, who was just tagging along as usual.

But noticeably absent from both breakfast and mission assignments…was Vexen. There had been quite a bit of conversation about him over the hall tables, with Zexion patiently reassuring everyone that he'd be up in another day or two. Marluxia just blocked it out by spooning his oatmeal into his mouth, aggressively, while repeating _"hate, hate, hate, hate…"_

Nevertheless, he received his inevitable partner during mission assignments. Axel and Lexaeus were being put on patrol in a new world, while Marluxia was being paired with Luxord to balance the Heartless population of Twilight Town. The two of them were supposed to eliminate or release new Heartless in order to create an ideal environment of them—for instance, eliminating any excess Purebloods and releasing any emblem Heartless, if they were found to be scarce.

It was a pretty boring, mundane mission, and soon, Marluxia found himself settling into the rhythm of counting Heartless and swiping away the extras with his scythe. And unfortunately, this left him plenty of time to think. Luxord attempted to make polite conversation, asking him how his current missions were going, how he was getting along with everyone, telling him about his first experiences in the Organization...but Marluxia's mind just wasn't there. Even as he swiped through a Mega-Shadow with a swift scythe slash, he couldn't stop thinking about what had occurred yesterday. Whenever he looked at Luxord, he couldn't help remembering what he'd told him before—"You will make a terrible mistake which can never be undone". That mistake…was that "mistake" breaking into Vexen's lab? He really didn't want to think of it that way, but…something was just telling him that it was.

Marluxia watched a flutter of colorful objects slamming into a small group of Shadows out of the corner of his eye. "Hmm." Luxord stepped back, cards flying back into his hand, and rested his bearded chin in his hand. "That seems to be the last of them. Good work, chap. You'll be ready for your first solo mission tomorrow."

Marluxia nodded, trying to be friendly. "I feel ready, after today. Thank you."

Luxord leveled his gaze at him, but said nothing as they made their way back to the dark corridor.

Marluxia had decided to use this sort of "buttering up" strategy to win over the lower Organization members, and so far it seemed to be working. It had worked on Axel and Demyx…it had worked on Xaldin and Xigbar…and now, it seemed to be working on Luxord as well. Zexion was the only one who was wary and suspicious of his words…and no one knew or cared what Lexaeus thought, because he always went together with Zexion on everything anyway. And Vexen just wasn't even worth _trying_.

When they stepped out of their dark corridor and back into the Grey Area, the first thing Marluxia heard was Axel's annoying, cocky voice complaining loudly to Saïx about something. "No—_no_. I'm not going back there. Seriously. That place is a freak-house. Poor Lex here almost lost his breakfast."

Lexaeus frowned. "I simply stated that its scent was repulsive."

"Yeah, so big guy almost spiffs his biscuits, and as you can imagine, I started panicking, and one of the residents almost noticed us because he was hiding behind a-"

"I understand, Axel, there's no need for further elaboration. Next time I'll send someone better suited to the job."

"Better suited?" Axel fumed. "How can there be _anyone_ better suited? You know what I had to do! The horrors we had to face when we-"

Saïx swiftly held up one hand, silencing him. "There will be no further discussion. That's final. I am leaving the passageway open, and I can assure you that you will never be placed on a mission to that area again."

Axel's shoulders slumped slightly, but he finally just accepted defeat and turned to stalk off back to one of the recreational rooms. "Alright, but don't expect anyone else to enjoy that hellhole of a world…"

Lexaeus stood there a moment, staring after him, before he noticed Marluxia and Luxord at the corridor entrance and strode silently off back to his room.

Saïx gave a small "hmph" at the whole ordeal before turning to address them. "Ah. Numbers Ten and Eleven. I trust your mission went better than _that_."

"Oh, yes," Luxord assured him. "It was a swift and simple task. Number Eleven performed excellently."

_Why did he have to use my number right then? It's like he's trying to hang onto his authority as higher than me… Ha. He knows I outclassed him. _

"Indeed," Marluxia added. "It was a task below my considerable skills."

Saïx looked at him a little bit longer than he would have liked. "Well. Glad to hear it. We'll be sending you out on your first mission alone tomorrow, and it'll be good to know your 'skills' are up to the task."

Marluxia nodded. "I will not disappoint you."

Saïx dismissed them, and Luxord turned, immediately beginning to walk away…but Marluxia quickly reached out to grab his sleeve. He turned around instantly, a somewhat confused and alarmed expression wrinkling his fuzzy face.

"Wait a minute, Luxord," he spoke, purposely using his name to offset his previous use of his own number, and gently letting go of his sleeve. "Would you mind doing another card reading for me?"

Luxord's blue eyes glanced sideways at him suspiciously.

"I'm just curious what they have in store for me next, that's all. Might as well practice your craft on me a little, right?" He tried to make it sound like he didn't really believe in his predictions—that the last one hadn't really come to pass…which he didn't _really _believe anyway. But if he could use Luxord's "ability" to help him avoid another "mistake", it was worth it.

"Well," Luxord finally agreed, "then certainly. Give me just a moment…"

He shuffled his deck of cards and made his way to one of the Grey Area's long tables to lay them on its top. Then, he picked up five cards from the top of his deck and fanned them out in his hand. Marluxia watched closely, yet aloofly, as he brought them close to his face and scrutinized them for a minute.

"…The cards are unclear," he finally announced, succinctly pulling them together again.

Marluxia let himself give him a disgusted expression. "What? You mean it failed?"

"I mean it's unclear," Luxord repeated. "The path ahead of you is unclear. It's clouded and muddled. It may be good or it may be bad. Who knows?"

"_That_ was helpful," Marluxia quipped, enjoying the sarcasm in his voice. "You could've told me that without the cards. It means absolutely nothing!"

Luxord shrugged, shooting him a warning glare. "You're the one who asked for the bloody reading."

"And you could've _given_ me a 'bloody reading'. _That_ was not a reading."

"I give up," Luxord gathered up his deck again and stormed to the Grey Area's entrance hallway. "It's a good thing you're on your own tomorrow." And then he disappeared into the hall's dark depths.

_Maybe I was a little too confrontational_, Marluxia admitted. _Oh, well. I don't have to work with him again tomorrow. Hopefully, from now on, they'll start pairing me with someone higher up…like Xaldin. _

Marluxia only glanced over his shoulder at the still stationary Saïx against the back glass panel. His yellow eyes flashed out at him between his shaggy blue hair clumps. He'd seen everything, of course…but right now, Marluxia didn't even care. He flipped his own bangs a little with one hand…and strode right on out, after Luxord. He wasn't going to let anyone intimidate him…

_And that means _no one, he confirmed, as the image of Vexen's face once again flooded his memory.

(-)

Marluxia found himself incredibly bored that afternoon, and that was never a good thing. A bored Nobody was a dangerous Nobody, as Vexen, Zexion, and Xaldin had discovered on numerous occasions when they'd returned from a hard day at work to find their laboratory full of bullet-holes, their dictionary collection on fire, or their exercise room flooded up to the waist. Luxord hadn't been around long enough to bother yet…and no one dared mess with Lexaeus…or Saïx, for that matter. Nevertheless, Marluxia found a somewhat more constructive way of dealing with his boredom…and one that wouldn't anger his comrades, surprisingly.

He was exploring the empty rooms next to his own bedroom, assessing their size and the quality of their walls…the number of windows. The bare rooms echoed nicely and somewhat disturbingly as he knocked against their walls, pounded their floors with his boots, and tested the shutters of their windows. He'd decided that he would claim one of them for his own, regardless of whether Saïx approved or not. After all, most of the other Organization members had their own "place". Xaldin had his exercise room, Demyx had his music room, Zexion had his library, Xigbar had his…whatever that was, and Vexen had his laboratory…

_I hate that man…_ Marluxia had to remind himself when the scientist poked at the edges of his mind again. _Hate, hate hate…_ he repeated, until he disappeared.

He returned his attention to picking out a room to claim as his own creative space. The room on the far-east was too cramped, the one right next to his bedroom didn't have any windows, and the one next to _that_ one had three windows, but its floor was rather creaky and there were tiny worn holes in the baseboards of the walls.

Finally, he decided on the largest room in his hallway, even though it only had two windows. It would serve his purposes just fine. As he stood in the center and surveyed the size and view, he realized he wouldn't be able to do anything today…but he knew exactly what he _wanted _to do with it.

_First, I need to get Lexaeus to fill this room with soil… take some water from the mess hall's kitchen, or get Demyx to fill a barrel or two for me. Have some lamps installed…I'm not sure how I'm going to get _that _done yet… But everything should be fine. With my power, really, I don't even need the lights. _The hardest part was going to be getting Lexaeus and possibly Demyx to comply. Marluxia paused to think. _I might need to show them some kind of proof that Saïx approves of my project. And Lexaeus is the one who barely talks. My flattery isn't going to work on him. It may work on Demyx, however. _He'd have to give this some more thought. If all else failed, he might actually have to go and appeal to Saïx. _And after my last little tiff with Luxord, I need some way of getting back into his good graces again._

It looked like "Project Garden" would have to be placed on hold for now. But at least he had a good head start…and he'd successfully dealt with his boredom without destroying anything.

Marluxia marked the doorway to his future garden with a tiny vine, wrapping it around the doorknob like some kind of ribbon, a little pink flower appearing at its end. As an added bonus, the flower was poisonous, and so anyone entering the room without his permission would be getting a thimble-full of burning acid right in the face. It was pretty much useless now, since there was nothing in the room at this time to ransack, but at least he could be sure that no one else would stumble across this room and try to claim it for themselves.

Marluxia smirked a bit with satisfaction as he made his way back to his room. Things were finally looking up again. And for the moment, Vexen and the contractual serum were the furthest things from his mind…

(-)

At around 8:50 that night, Marluxia stashed away a clipboard he'd been aimlessly writing on and rubbed his left ear. There was an odd ringing in it and he'd begun to wonder if Nobodies were even capable of catching things like ear infections. As far as he knew, they were still semi-human and physical in every way, aside from that whole "fading back to Darkness" thing. But where could he have picked up an ear infection anyway?

He decided to just ignore it for now—it was almost time to get ready for bed anyway. Marluxia stretched out on his bed and started to get comfortable…but by 8:55, the stinging in his ear had gotten so bad that he was rubbing it constantly…and now his left arm was beginning to ache.

_God, what _is_ this? _He wondered, as he pressed on his inner earlobe. _Something I did during today's mission? It wasn't _that_ strenuous. And why would it make my _ear_ hurt anyway? Maybe I pulled a muscle in my arm, but my _ear_…? _

Quickly, he created a cotton flower in one hand, ripped out its fluffy fiber and stuffed it in his ear. It didn't help much. In fact, it was just scratchy and uncomfortable, because it was unrefined cotton, full of seeds and plant material. And he probably looked ridiculous. But Marluxia didn't even care now, because he wanted his free hand to rub his left arm.

However, as he massaged it and massaged it…it only seemed to be growing more painful. "Ow…"

The clock on his wall read "8:59"…and the dull ache in his arm had escalated into a sharp burning, which was beginning to spread into his chest and torso area. _What the hell? _He thought, slightly curling his legs up in an effort to minimize the pain. _It feels like there's something trying to eat through my skin like some kind of…acid…_

And that's when he remembered…just as the clock struck 9PM, and a terrible wave of stabbing pain rippled through his body.

"_Aaargh_!" Marluxia couldn't help but cry out, immediately clenching his teeth together again to prevent another weak scream from escaping his mouth. The burning was everywhere now…hot, sharp, burning pain. _Damn that man! Damn him…damn him! I'll never forgive him for this! _

He was in too much pain now to think clearly, but at any other time, he might have been surprised that this "contractual serum" was actually working…that Vexen had been telling him the truth about it. But Marluxia wasn't just going to give in and sink himself to comply with his demands.

With a grunt, he clamped his hands firmly over the base-boards of his bed, forcing his body down into the mattress. _I don't care! _He furiously thought. _I'm staying right here! I'm not coming to him. If this chemical makes him feel the same pain as I do, then _I'll _make _him_ come to _me_!_

"Rrrrrgh…urrrrrrrrrgh!" Marluxia's face twisted in a terrible agonized expression that he was glad no one could see. It was one minute after, and it felt as if he was being skinned alive by a white-hot knife. His legs began to tremble, all on their own.

_What's going to happen to me_? He briefly wondered. _Is this chemical going to burst out of me? Rip through my veins? That's what it feels like. _His hands were growing weak with pain, and they fell away from the baseboard. But it didn't matter at this point—the last thing in the world Marluxia wanted to do was move.

9:03…and Marluxia's body was convulsing. Tiny tears were beginning to squeeze out of the corners of his eyes, but there was no way he could even think about caring. He'd just let them roll down all they wanted. In fact, they seemed to be helping, if only a tiny smidgeon.

He tucked himself into a tiny, trembling, writhing ball on his bed. This felt so familiar…so terribly, terribly familiar. The memories flooded his head again…Welted holes on his back, singed black skin on the bottoms of his feet, sharp zings shooting down his arms, up his neck, the simple popping of bones cracking, being crushed, being forced into unnatural shapes.

More involuntary tears slipped down Marluxia's smooth cheeks, and he held his body tight, though it felt like every inch of him was covered in enormous spiky needles. _How is that old man not _dead_ by now? _

And as the clock clicked to 9:04, he found himself suddenly lucid enough for a moment to think. _Wait…what if he _is_ dead? Would this chemical have stopped working? Or is it just going to keep doing this to me until I go pick up his dead body?_

Suddenly, he was unsure. He was wavering… _If he's actually dead now, I could be waiting in agony like this for another two hours. _And before he even had a chance to debate with himself any further, his body was automatically deciding for him and rolling itself off the bed, onto the floor.

Marluxia was in so much pain now that the drop didn't even faze him. He began to crawl…slowly, agonizingly, to the door of his room, weakly pushing it open with one free hand. "Rrrrrgh…" he moaned, dragging his pathetic wriggling body out into the hall. How in the universe was he going to get this sack of searing flesh all the way down the hall and down five flights of stairs? But right now, he couldn't even stop to think about it. He just had to do it.

Marluxia extended his trembling arms and slowly gripped onto the floor with them…pulling himself forward. Slowly, gradually, and very painfully, he dragged himself down the hall, moving at the speed of an ancient tortoise, occasionally grunting and groaning with effort.

He was almost at the end of the hall, to his great relief…when suddenly, Demyx appeared, stepping into it, probably on his way to the small balcony that was located at the end of the hall. His eyes widened when he saw Marluxia on the floor, his mouth dropping open a little. But Marluxia neither cared nor had the energy to try to say something to him. He just pulled himself forward again, and Demyx carefully stepped over him…turning to stare at him as he crawled into the stair-tower, groaning with pain.

_Selfish bastard_, Marluxia snarled as he crawled himself down the first set of stairs. _He didn't even bother saying "are you okay" or offer to help or anything._

It took Demyx a full two minutes to stop gawking at the incapacitated Marly before he could pick his jaw up off the floor and get back to the balcony.

To Marluxia's great relief, once he reached the third floor, the pain in his legs had lessened enough to allow him to stand up again. He still had to hunch over and grip tightly to the railing, since the rest of his torso was still stabbing with pain, but at least now he could move more quickly and in not such a humiliating position.

He growled as he made his way carefully down to the second floor like a ninety-year-old woman. _If Vexen isn't dead when I get there, he soon will be._

At least now, with each floor he descended, he could look forward to a release of pain. On the second floor, his arms felt normal again. By the first floor, he could stand up straight again…and finally, when he reached the basement, the pain had faded away into an overall ache, as if he'd only been exercising a bit too long. Once he stepped down the last set of stairs to the second basement, he was back to just a mildly annoying ear-sting.

Marluxia grinned to himself and flexed his arms for a few seconds, getting used to their pain-free use again. Now was the moment he'd been waiting for. He'd march up to the laboratory door, slam it open to discover the old man crumpled on the cluttered floor, barely alive. Then, he'd whisper something threatening and eternally memorable into his ear before stabbing a blood-red rose into his chest and finishing him off. Now _that _would be justice.

Marluxia prepared a smug and triumphant smile for his moment of victory and strode to the large metal lab door with every fiber of confidence.

But as soon as he lifted one hand…the door slammed open by itself, so quickly, he could almost feel the rush of air lift his bangs. And there…just on the other side…was a rather irate-looking Vexen, one hand still pressed to the door, the other on his hip.

…_Crap. _

"Well." The elder's voice was filled with purposeful superiority. "You certainly took your sweet time. What were you trying to do, kill me?"

Marluxia quickly recovered from his initial shock and gave him a suave look. "That _was _the idea."

"Sorry to disappoint." Vexen stood back a little further, as if motioning for him to come in. "I assume you know better now than to challenge the effects of the serum again."

"Indeed. Next time I'll know I don't have to rush down here to pick up your rotting corpse."

"We don't _leave_ rotting corpses, we…"

"I _know_, I know. It was an exaggeration."

The two of them locked eyes over the threshold of the lab, and you could practically see the spark of lightning pass between them. Neither moved an inch.

Vexen was the first to speak, naturally. "Well? What are you waiting for? Get your pink mop of a head in here."

"I just realized something." Marluxia straightened his back, folding his arms over his chest, trying to make himself look bigger…though it was pointless to try to compete with Vexen in height. "There's no reason I have to come in. What's stopping me from simply standing here for the next hour? I'm close enough to you for the serum to stop hurting me. There's no reason I have to come _inside_. There's no reason I have to follow your orders, either. As long as I'm somewhere near you until eleven o' clock…"

Vexen sighed with irritation. "Of course. I knew you'd say something like that. Well, it doesn't matter…"

And then, Vexen did something so suddenly and unexpectedly that Marluxia didn't even have a chance to defend himself…he grabbed him by the coat sleeve and yanked him inside, flinging him almost straight into a cluttered desk. It took Marluxia a moment to catch his bearings and whirl back around in alarm. By the time he could see straight again, the metal door was once again coated with its ice-barrier.

Vexen turned to glare at him. "I'm _not_ in a good mood today."

"So I can tell. Are you _ever_ in a good mood?"

"Hardly. And it's not going to get any better, thanks to you."

"Why, you're welcome. Anytime!"

Vexen muttered to himself, moving to a nearby storage cabinet and taking out a box of supplies. "Believe me, Number Eleven, I would love to have left you out there too. But now, because of your little interruption yesterday, I am severely behind in my work and it's only fair that you now help me make up for it."

"Does that mean you'll get this awful chemical out of me once you're caught up?"

"_No_, unfortunately. Like it or not, this is what me must do. Now…" Vexen stood up straight, glowering down at Marluxia and utterly beating him in stature intimidation. "What I need to do first is to get you tested. Normally, Saïx sends the newest member down here to see me after his induction ceremony, but considering the circumstances, I haven't had the time. So take a seat on that examining table behind you."

"Oh, my," Marluxia purposely teased. "You want to _examine_ me? Does this involve removing my clothing? I never knew you were _that _kind of creepy old man."

"_Now_, Number Eleven." Vexen's green eyes flashed dangerously, and Marluxia could have sworn he felt the temperature around him suddenly lower five degrees.

"_Okay_, okay, I'm going." Finally, he just resigned himself to whatever was coming, getting up and placing himself on the long white-lined examining table on the left. But the instant Vexen did anything to hurt him in any way, he was getting out of there.

Strangely enough, though, Marluxia was finding himself…inexplicably excited. It was like the ends of his nerves were crackling, pleasantly…on edge. _It's just more…_enjoyable_ with him…_ he realized, slowly. _Rather than arguing with someone like Luxord or Axel… Vexen is more…fun. _He was just more of a challenge. Marluxia could easily grow bored of snipping at Axel or glaring at Demyx and Xigbar or complaining to Luxord…but really, he could go on pestering Vexen all day.

Vexen scooped up a clipboard from one of his desks, flipped through a few of its papers until he found what he was looking for, and made his way over to Marluxia's side, removing his gloves and pulling on a suspicious latex doctors' pair.

"Um…" Marluxia spoke, glancing back at them with a purposeful nervous expression. "Just _what_ are you going to be touching with those?"

Vexen snarled, like a red flag popping up with the words "NOT IN THE MOOD" in dripping black letters. "It's _procedure_. That's _it_. I'm going to need a blood sample, along with your height and weight and all your other vital statistics, for documentation purposes. This _should _have been done a long time ago."

Marluxia glanced over, watching distantly as Vexen bustled about him, making measurements and jotting down notes…peering in his eyes, tapping on his joints, sticking him with needles. For one moment, he had him unzip his coat, pressing a flat, cold metal disk over his chest and sticking two little headphone-type things in his ears.

"Take a deep breath," he ordered, and Marluxia sucked his air in, inflating his chest.

_Is this some kind of perverted chest-thing…?_

"…You can release it."

"_Pffoo_…" Marluxia purposely blew outward, hard, blowing Vexen's long side-bangs back, away from his face.

His stone-stiff face remained completely unfazed, and he just moved the little metal slab. "Now again."

After three more of these breath exercises, Vexen moved away, jotting down another note. "Heartbeat's regular."

At this, finally, Marluxia took notice. He was entirely uninterested in anything else Vexen had to tell him about himself—that he was five foot nine, that his reflexes were extremely fast, that his blood type was O negative. But _this _was an entirely different—and confusing—piece of information. He'd been mulling over this whole "heart" business gradually since last night…eventually deciding that he needed this thing called "feel". He didn't know what it was, but it was somehow hard-wired into his system-it was something he knew he was missing, and that he suddenly wanted back. And he suspected the rest of the Organization had the same notions. He needed a "heart" to release them. And here was Vexen, telling him he had a "heartbeat".

"…_Heartbeat_?" he finally exclaimed. "What are you talking about? I don't have a heart."

Vexen arched an eyebrow at him over his shoulder. "Oh, yes you do."

_Is he trying to play some stupid game with me? _Marluxia resented. He jerked his coat closed and quickly did up the zipper. _Because if he is, I don't get it. He should have learned by now that trying to get back at me using my own tactics is futile. _

Vexen turned to face him again, holding the clipboard at his waist and looking smugly proud of himself for knowing something that he didn't. "You have a heart," he repeated, "But you don't have a heart."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Marluxia shot him a glare, through his ragged bangs. "And don't give me that nonsense poetry. Just tell me—do I or do I not have a heart?"

"And by 'heart', do you mean 'heart'…or 'heart'? They're two entirely different things, really."

"I mean _heart_, you senile idiot. _Heart_. You said the same thing twice already. It means the exact same thing."

"Au contraire, my ignorant little friend." Gracefully, Vexen whipped out a poster-diagram from his clipboard, as if he'd been practicing for this moment for weeks. It depicted a human outline interlaced with hundreds of tiny blue lines, stemming from a lumpy, vaguely oval-like shape in the center of its chest. Vexen jabbed at that reddish lump with one latex-gloved finger.

"This is a heart. It is a fleshy muscle roughly the size of your fist sitting in the center of your chest at this very moment. It pumps constantly in order to cycle blood through your body and keep you alive. Although originally formed from Darkness, we Nobodies have a very physical presence—we have skin, organs, muscles, bones…otherwise we would not be able to move or to move anything else in this universe. I call it the 'physical-heart'. Now…"

Vexen flipped the poster around, deftly revealing another diagram of another human figure entirely filled in with pinkish color. Beside it was a crystalline heart-shaped…well, heart, drawn in with a pencil.

"This," Vexen continued, gesturing non-specifically to the figure, "Is a heart. It is an energy, a non-quantifiable, non-material essence which comes inside a human being. I call it the 'essential-heart'. It is not located anywhere specifically within the body…it just _is_. However, when a heart is removed from a body, or extracted from a Heartless, it tends to take on a deceptively physical presence, which appears like _this_…" He pointed this time to the crystal-heart sketch. "It is simply a mirage created by the heart's energy, however. If you should attempt to touch it, I suspect your hand would go straight through. This is what you do not have. This is what allows humans to feel. Due to an unfortunate cross-association of dated theory, the two separate entities have become lumped into one, though it is ridiculous to say 'you're in my heart' to express love, or 'my heart hurts' to express sadness. Your _physical-heart_ isn't hurting…your _essential-heart _is making you hurt. I cannot stand for such misuse of terms…"

As Vexen started in on another of his patented extended lectures, complete with the occasional hand-gesture-illustration, Marluxia delved into his own analysis of what this new piece of information could mean. He gently pressed his own hand to his chest, feeling his "physical-heart" beat. As much as he hated to admit it, Vexen knew quite a lot about this heart business…things that he wouldn't have even considered…things he thought some of the others might not even know about. Naturally, he was curious…he wanted to learn more…to figure this thing out and correct it. Find a way of getting an "essential-heart" of his own. Though he hated to admit it…he was going to have to spend more time with Vexen. Get him to open up, tell him everything he knew about the "essential-heart's" secrets.

_I could use this to my advantage… Vexen is the type who, even if he knew something important about the heart, wouldn't do anything about it without Xemnas's approval. But if _I _had that information…if _I _had that kind of power… I'm going to have to coax anything else out of him…details about his Replica Project, possible methods for constructing a heart…ways in which a Keyblade might be obtained. If I knew these secrets…and I acted on them, _I'd_ be better off than anyone else in this stupid Organization. _I'd_ have the power before Xemnas could even begin to get his gloves on it. They'd all have to listen to _me_. _

"…It had its roots in ancient physiology, you see. Before the 1600's, physicians commonly believed the heart to be the center of all passions and changes in the body's emotions. The heart was thought to expand or contract according to feelings-expanding in love and great sorrow, contracting in bitterness and spite. A somewhat logical conclusion, given the strain and constriction found in chest muscles during moments of intense emotion. However, that symptom has more to do with the lungs than the heart. They were off the mark by a long shot, but it's understandable, given that they only had dead bodies robbed from graveyards to study and dissect…"

"And uh...so what about feelings?" Marluxia deliberately interrupted. "Even though we're Nobodies, we still have emotional responses. I mean, I know there are times when I make a face just to get someone to do something, like leave me alone, but there are some times when my face just _reacts_. You do that a lot, when you fly off the handle."

Vexen ground to a halt, displaying just the sort of shocked, disbelieving emotional response Marluxia had just been talking about. The little neophyte had actually been _listening _to part of his lecture? And he wanted to know _more_? Vexen had so many memories, even from his previous life, of being ignored, that he was almost coming to expect it.

"Oh. Yes. Those. Like just now, actually. Well, yes…" For a brief moment, he was even at a loss for words. There were no convenient diagrams or handy charts or anything else on hand which he could use to try to explain these things to a neophyte. Unfortunately, he'd have to try his best with words. _Not too verbose, now…and slowly…_

"Well…previously, our research had shown that…there are always two…_parts_…to an emotion…being experienced…an emotional one and a physiological one. As Nobodies, we still possess all of the physiological components of what made us who we were as humans, thus we have the physiological traits of emotion. We experience the physical sensations of emotion, which are triggered by certain hormones and the levels of certain chemicals in our brains. We respond to situations physiologically…but we cannot respond emotionally, for lack of an essential-heart. Such responses are called 'no-feelings' or 'nomotions'. "

Vexen frowned. _I kind of went off it at the end there… _"Did you…understand any of that?"

"Of course I did!" Marluxia gave him an irritated glance. "You act like I'm some kind of retarded seven-year-old. I'm not stupid."

"You'll have to excuse me. Usually whenever I attempt to explain something to anyone else in this Organization, he looks at me as if I am speaking a foreign language which he has never heard before. I wasn't expecting much from you, especially with the way you've been acting thus far."

Marluxia narrowed his eyes, challengingly. "You don't know anything about me."

"Oh, yes, I do," Vexen answered, a slightly different tone in his voice now, as he whirled away toward his desk again. "I know your blood type, your blood pressure, your height, weight, reaction time, the distance between your left and right shoulder...I'd say I know quite a bit about you."

"But you don't know who I am…_inside_!" Marluxia posed over-dramatically, clutching his chest, kicking his legs up, and falling straight off the examination table with a thick _plunk_. "Oww…" he sat up, rubbing his backside. "That's going to be a bruise in the morning."

Vexen rolled his eyes, just as he was finishing filing the information and putting the desk back into an orderly work area. "Idiot. I take back whatever I said before about you not being a retarded seven-year-old."

"Aww," Marluxia teased. "How cold. Though I would expect nothing less from you."

Vexen's shoulders tensed. "Actions and reactions are completely unrelated to one's elemental magic affinity, I'll have you know…"

"Yeah, yeah, I figured as much. Still, I thought it was a nice connection." Marluxia stepped forward…and almost without thinking, curled one finger around a lock of Vexen's hair, twirling it…much in the same way he'd seen Xigbar do with Xaldin. He had no idea why, even afterwards…it had just seemed like something he wanted to do at the time. Besides, from the back, at least, he didn't have to see his withered, pointed, creepy face. "Are you sure of that, though? You should do a bit more research on it, if you ask me. Because to me, you're perfectly suited to ice. And I'm perfectly suited to flowers. It's almost as if we were made to possess their abilities."

"It's not complete…" Vexen's voice went soft, as Marluxia continued to fiddle absent-mindedly with his hair. He stared into the polished surface of his desk, a confusing, stunned reaction coming over him, like he'd never experienced before. "I…I don't know if… Get your nasty little groping fingers off me!"

Vexen jerked away from Marluxia's touch, facing him again with an annoyed expression, and Marluxia instantly lost any interest he'd had in him.

"Aww," he tauntingly pouted. "You're hurting my no-feelings."

"No-feelings can't be _hurt_, there's nothing there _to_ be hurt, because the physiological-"

"I know, I know." Marluxia flicked Vexen on the forehead, for which he glanced up, confused and annoyed. "It was a joke. I think you lack a sense of humor along with your essential-heart."

"A sense of humor isn't something I need in my particular profession." Vexen bounced back to life, moving briskly to a second desk where another pile of disorganized papers and supplies lied in a heap. Glancing at the clock, he felt a snarl of disgust twist his lips. He couldn't believe he'd wasted so much time with such trivial matters as explaining the workings of hearts and feelings to the one who'd only ever treated him with complete disrespect. But still...Number Eleven _had _seemed to take a genuine interest in the subject, for which Vexen felt…refreshed. For a moment, he'd had a small sense of true worth that he hadn't had in quite a while. But he couldn't dwell on that now...especially not now.

"And that's enough of that talk today." He shuffled through his supplies, pulling up the notes and charts from where he'd left off yesterday and bustling to get the rest of his supplies in order. "We've only got forty-five minutes left in which to make up for a day's worth of work. Now, I want you to pull out the second tray of that storage cabinet there. …And hurry up! Don't just stand there with that brain-dead look on your face!"

Marluxia snapped back out of his own thinking trance. Unfortunately, he could see that he wasn't going to get any other little secrets out of the scientist tonight…and he'd have to stick around here with him for another forty-five minutes… Ah, well. May as well just get through this…

Marluxia reluctantly slid the drawer open and retrieved the tray of delicate metal instruments Vexen then asked for. He watched in utter boredom as he then pulled out a very large microscope and began checking on a series of little transparent glass bubble-containers, deftly jotting down notes and flipping papers.

"There's no need for you to just stand there twiddling your thumbs—take that stack of papers there and organize them by date. And when you're done with that, you can take these pellets and drop them into that beaker on the far right. _Carefully_, mind you!" Vexen waved a hand to him, though his face was still glued to the microscope's eyepiece.

Marluxia grumbled, but picked up the stack of papers anyway. "Y'know, you could at least say 'please, Marluxia' or 'I really appreciate it, Marluxia'. That would be nice. Might motivate me to be a little more helpful."

"There's no time for pleasantries!" Vexen snapped. "Just do it!"

Marluxia snarled as he sat on the edge of the desk and began to smack the papers into place. That itching, burning, picking sensation of wanting to get away from him as soon as he could intensified. His grudging hatred for the man was in full force again…returning from its side-track during his lecture about the heart.

_I was doing so well, too, before yesterday…_ Marluxia silently fumed. _Everyone was proud of me, they welcomed me…no one was forcing me to do anything. They had respect for me, even as a newcomer. I was free to do virtually anything I wished… Then _he_ ruined everything. _He _ruined everything I had going for me. Just because I know he's actually twenty-six years old and that he's being forced to sacrifice his life force? That's his own business. Sure, it's grounds for opposing Xemnas…but hell, I don't even care about that anymore. Come to think of it, why doesn't he _act _twenty-six? He's acting more like his body's age than this actual age... _

"_Off_ the table, if you please!"

Marluxia muttered some quip about him liking being old as he slid back off the table with the organized papers, but Vexen was too lost in his own world now to notice. This sort of thing continued for the next half hour, as Vexen flew through charts and mixed and checked and re-checked substances, and Marluxia begrudgingly fetched supplies from closets and drawers, put away file folders, stacked bottles neatly inside each other, and stuffed a few unidentifiable lumps into a mysteriously percolating machine.

He needed something to do…some opening, some method of revenge…some way in which he could come out on top. And then, when the clock above the computer-station read precisely 10:59, the golden opportunity was literally handed to him.

"Come here," Vexen demanded, and Marluxia obeyed, purposely shuffling his feet to slow himself down.

"Okay, we're almost caught up now…" Vexen gingerly pulled away from the table, lifting a set of twelve test tubes on a rack. These were the final products, from everything he'd measured and observed and mixed together-everything he had to show for his past three hours of work…and perhaps blinded by excitement and relief, or just numbed by lack of sleep…he made the severely unfortunate mistake of placing them directly into Marluxia's hands.

"You'll be free to go in just a few moments. Just hold this for me for a second while I open the cooler…" Vexen leaned down next to a smooth black box just underneath the table's ledge and produced a ring of keys from his pocket, fitting one into a lock on the device.

And Marluxia knew it. This was his moment. He knew what he had to do. What he longed to do. What he was destined to do. He simply loosened his fingers…relaxed his palms…and let the test tube rack slide right through them.

Vexen turned back towards him again…just in time to see his precious experiments crash disastrously to the ground, glass shattering into clear jagged pieces, brilliant liquids and squishy little solids spraying across the dusty, dirty gray floor.

Then they settled.

Marluxia smirked, and Vexen's face went even whiter than he'd thought physically possible. Then came the explosion.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!"

Marluxia had never heard anyone shriek so loudly and shrilly in his entire past-lifetime memories. He stuck his fingers in his ears as Vexen shot up to his feet, stomping the ground, grinding his head, writhing in agony, in an entertaining little angry dance. Marluxia couldn't help but chuckle under his breath as he watched.

"You bumbling, idiotic, foolhardy, insensitive, infuriating, festering, leech-sucking, good-for-nothing _rat_!"

Marluxia couldn't suppress his no-feeling response any longer and burst into laughter.

"You think this is _funny_?" Vexen roared, coming to a stop for a moment to glare threateningly back at him, eyes burning with empty rage. "Do you have _any_ idea how _long_ it took me to assemble this set of samples? _Any_ idea? _Two whole days_! Two whole days worth of work you've just destroyed for the sake of your sadistic little pleasures! You know _nothing_ about the worth of my science! I should never have allowed it to be _touched_ by worthless scum like you!"

"_Ahahahahahahahaha_," Marluxia only laughed, pressing one hand to his mouth for effect. "Oh, goodness… Oh, Vexen, you've outdone yourself yet again. That was simply the most entertaining 'nomotion' display I've ever yet seen! What am I again? A leech-sucking little rat?"

"_This _is _entertainment _to you? _This is entertainment_? This is _fun_ to you, _destroying _people's life's work?" By now, Vexen's face had changed from chalk-white to radish-red, and his ranting was, unfortunately, even more entertaining when accompanied by it. He thrust a finger accusingly at his snickering, pink-haired offender. "_You _are…_you _are a…_work-rapist_!"

Marluxia roared with laughter, clutching his left side and pounding one fist into the table. "Hahahaha, st-stop it! You…y-you're h-hurting me! Hahahahahahahahaha!"

"Alright, that's it!" Vexen stormed to his side, dragging him to his feet and flinging him to the ground with a fleshy thump.

"Aha-" Marluxia's laughter finally ground to a halt when he hit the floor, dull pain blossoming over in multiple places in his body.

"_Clean it up_," Vexen demanded, the fury still underlining his voice. "Clean that up _now_. Not even a glass micro-particle better remain."

Marluxia glanced to the side. Yes, he thought, it was good enough now…he'd be able to pull this off.

The triumphant smirk reappeared across his lips…as he got back to his feet. "Oh, my," he stated, pointing to the clock, which now read one minute after eleven. "Look at the time! I really must be going!" And with that, he dashed off, as fast as he legs could take him.

"_Wha_-?" Vexen cried, reaching out, but he was too slow.

Marluxia crashed straight through the ice-barrier, which had become weak and thin enough over time to allow him to break through, and sprinted straight through the lab door, closing it firmly behind him and making his way up the stairs.

"AAAAAAAAAAAUGH!" he heard Vexen scream after him, even through the thick metal lab doors, and even from halfway up the stairs.

Marluxia chuckled a little again—oh, he was so much fun to mess with. _I'll make sure he never forgets. No one is allowed to push me around like that. He'll be remembering this encounter for a long, long time to come. Looks like you need to learn a few things, too, Mr. Scientist. _

He had a strangely refreshed sense as he climbed the stairs back to his room. That hadn't been entirely unpleasant. In fact, he'd quite enjoyed himself. Maybe next time, he wouldn't hold out for so long. Hey, if he was going to be stuck with Vexen for two hours every day, he might as well have some fun with him.

And that night, he slept like a log, completely satisfied.

(-)

Vexen stared at his trembling hand, pressed to the dark floor, just underneath the devastation. His body had given out in the moment Marluxia had run off on him, leaving him weak and shaky with the aftershocks of his rage. _I really need to get my reactions under control_, he begrudgingly thought. _I have no idea where half of those things I said came from… _

It was kind of interesting, really. Other Organization members had done things like this to him before…Xigbar destroying his lab equipment, Axel setting some of his sheets on fire…but never before had his no-feelings completely exploded like that. That neophyte…Number Eleven…just had some kind of effect on him. It would probably be best to study it further…this could be some new facet to the theory of nomotions that could be the key to unlocking their remaining secrets. That was, of course, if he could survive it. Even now, he could still feel his physical-heart pounding against his ribcage.

"Rrrrgh…" Vexen growled to himself, looking down into the mess. The least that scoundrel could have done was to help clean it up before he left. Instead of getting yesterday's work caught up with, he was now two days behind. Instead of a small step forward, he'd taken an enormous leap backwards. His hands were still shaking, even as his heart began to slow down and he began to regain control of his limbs.

_Shit. Shitshitshitshitshit._ His results were due to Lord Xemnas tomorrow. If he didn't have at least something to show for his days away…

Vexen forced himself to his feet again, quickly gliding away to find a broom and a mop and other supplies to sweep up the sad remnants of his all-important proto-tissue. _I was correct, of course_, he mused, with resentment. _Trying to get Number Eleven to work for me was one of my worst ideas ever. All that disrespectful little hooligan will do is undo any progress I attempt to make, purely for his so-called "entertainment". Nevermind that he took an interest in my heart research. He was probably only pretending to be interested, to get me to trust him. Feh. _

Vexen hurried past the table he'd been working at again, now with a broom and rubber gloves…but something looked different about his work area. Something he hadn't noticed before. He stopped and let go of the broom for a moment to get a better look at it.

There, hanging over the lip of one of his beakers, soaking up the chemicals inside and curling its petals at him, saucily…was a single pink rose…just sitting there, making itself comfortable. Vexen stared at it, and the more he did, the more the soft, curvy petals began to resemble Marluxia's hair…the more it began to resemble Marluxia's head, his face, chuckling at him…taunting him, mocking him…

With one swift, violent motion, he plucked the horrendous weed from his territory, holding it in one hand, sending it his most malicious glare. Gradually, his hand closed tighter around it…squeezing it with malice…and a coating of ice began to creep over it. It spread and cracked solidly over the rose as Vexen channeled all of his hatred into it. Then, once it was completely covered in ice, glistening under a white-blue frosted sheen, he cracked it in his fist, shattering it into a thousand little shreds, letting the torn, dead petals and leaves drop to the ground. Marluxia wasn't the only one who could destroy things, after all.

_Number Eleven…_ Vexen thought, almost a telepathic message, as if he concentrated enough, Marluxia would hear it in his head. He eyes were focused on the mess of icy petal shards, now mixed into the runny chemical disaster. _Know this…don't think you've won. I will _not _let you bring me down so easily._

A spark of determination flew through his veins…a renewal of energy. Marluxia was a challenge now, something to be overcome, a problem to be surmounted…and a smirk appeared at the side of Vexen's face at the thought of stepping up to it.

_Oh, no_, he thought, as he returned to sweeping up the mess. _This is only the beginning. _


	3. The Self Discovery Process

WARNING: EXTREMELY LONG CHAPTER ALERT. Longest thus far. But at least by the end of all this, we're getting somewhere. I think my pace is a little too slow for most fans of this pairing. But this is the way I like it. Marluxia takes forever to finally come to his conclusions, but remember, he has no feelings. And he's up to his neck in a little river in Egypt.

Yes, I have "self-neglectful" Vexen, because I love torturing my favorite characters. I know it's a little cliched, but it just seems right for him. He _is_ crazy enough to forget to eat and sleep for days.

The flower meanings in the chapter were things that I looked up online, so they might not be entirely accurate, but as far as I could tell, certain flowers can mean a lot of different things.

I'm not entirely satisfied with this chapter, because some things are obviously rushed (particularly the whole brushed-off "breaking into Xemnas's complex" thing), but hopefully, the next one will be a little more focused. As always, I have no idea when the next chapter will be...but, you know, November is coming up.

All I own is Gwen...and Lumaira's random companions, whose names are entirely random.

(-)

Chapter 3: The Self-Discovery Process

_"I won't let you win. I'm not going to just give in to you—to let you take over when you need to. This isn't your life, this isn't your territory. Without me you wouldn't even exist…I never would have brought you to the surface. Do you hear me? Without me, you're nothing!" _

"_Why can't you ever trust me? Why can't I ever do what _I _want?" _

_"If I hadn't pushed you—if I hadn't gotten you to work as hard as you did, where would you be right now? We wouldn't _be _here, do you understand? Everything-we would have had to leave it all behind!" _

"_You have something special. A great gift to our family-a gift we can use." _

"_But I don't want to be special!" _

"_You'd be a valuable asset to our team, old friend." _

"_Better than helping these deadbeats destroy their sleep cycles." _

"_This is why we need someone like you." _

"_The room was completely ransacked!" _

"_Oh my God! What did you do, stick your head in a toilet bowl or something?" _

"_I'm asking you to do this…not just as your partner, but as your friend. It's incredibly important." _

"_It just seems to get worse and worse every day, don't you think? Haha, it's like you forget how hideous it is until you see it again tomorrow." _

"_I can't stand sitting here, looking at _that_." _

"_I got them from Master Ansem. This one's for you." _

"_Please…you know I won't be able to do this for much longer." _

"_Take it. Isn't this what you wanted? Take it!" _

"_Why do you tolerate this? Why do you stand for this all the time, when you could be so much more? There's so much you could do—you just won't do it! Think of the possibilities! Why won't you just do what you know you can do…what you so _crave_? There is nothing that can stand in our way." _

"_Take it. The papers. They're yours now." _

"_I see…how interesting." _

"_Why, thank you. I'm glad you've finally come to your senses and decided to join us…Even." _

(-)

"_Mmm_mm…" Marluxia stretched as he got out of bed, feeling the pleasant sensation of his muscles pulling each other out of their numbness. Last night had been a very fitful, dreamless sleep, and a refreshed energy buzzed within him, urging him to get out there and accomplish something. And today, there was a lot he _could _get accomplished…his first solo mission, trying to start up his garden…getting Vexen under his control. All of these little projects were well on their way to bearing fruitful results. It was a good day to be Marly, yes it was. If he'd been just a little less dignified, Marluxia might have even skipped down the hallway. As it was, he just made due with walking downstairs to the Fruitless Mess Hall, humming softly to himself.

Surprisingly enough, almost the entire Organization was there, the room buzzing lowly with chatter. Marluxia walked straight past everyone and grabbed a plate of pancakes from the long counter at the far end of the room, where breakfast items had been set out (probably by the Dusks).

The tables were the same muted white-blue color as the rest of castle, which Marluxia was quite frankly getting sick of. Another good reason he should get his gardening project under way…and, he realized, with a smirk, a good selling point to Saïx. "Well the rest of this castle is so dull and colorless," he could see himself explaining to the stone-faced second-in-command. "My garden will be a place where anyone else in the Organization can come to get a little refreshment from the varied colors and scents of my flowers. It's been proven that such an environment has a positive neurological effect. It would be an excellent addition for boosting morale." Of course, he didn't have to tell him that the garden _wouldn't _be exactly "free for anyone to use". What they didn't know wouldn't hurt them, after all.

Marluxia glanced up from his spot at one of the empty tables for a moment, gauging the environment around him. Almost everyone was crowded around the far left table, forming a semi-circular blob around Zexion. Lexaeus was sitting next to him, as always, arms crossed, glaring protectively at the others, while Axel and Demyx leaned over the table towards them. Xigbar stood back, off to the side, occasionally chiming in, and Luxord sat in front of him, calmly listening. Xaldin sat on the other side of Demyx, surprisingly talkative, but steadfast about it, unlike Demyx, whose voice was fluctuating wildly. Saïx was the only other one not joining in, but instead, he was standing in front of the breakfast counter, staring at them and making sure they didn't do or say anything out of line.

For a fleeting moment, Marluxia wondered what all the fuss was about. Normally, the other members broke up into their little groups and stayed there during meals—he usually ended up stuck with Luxord, to his chagrin. But he wasn't too concerned about it. After all, if something had happened to affect the entire Organization, Xemnas would be calling a meeting about it. This had to be some kind of anomaly…petty gossip. He returned to his pancakes, determinedly.

But only a few minutes later, the light pressure of a hand on his shoulder shocked him out of his fixation on the food. Marluxia half-jumped out of his seat, to find Xigbar's grinning face staring back at him. He should have known.

"Why so jumpy today?" he teased. "Nervous about your big mission?"

"Not at all." Marluxia quickly slipped back into his confident demeanor. "I can't wait for it, actually. Nothing else really matters to me now."

"Aha," Xigbar placed a hand on his hip, leaning back. "So that's why you don't care about the juicy news. It's nothin' much anyway, the others are just up in arms about it because they haven't seen it happen a million times already. Xaldy and Zexion are reassuring them."

Marluxia frowned. Xigbar was deliberately trying to catch his interest, and he could tell. He didn't care in the slightest, but he could tell by the tone of his voice that he was going to tell him anyway. Trying to get him assimilated…Marluxia made it perfectly clear that he really had no interest in associating with the others. They just didn't matter to him.

Xigbar crossed his arms and continued his cryptic nonsense. "It looks like you're going to have to wait a bit longer to be fully introduced than we had thought."

Marluxia's hand clenched over his fork. Darn it. He wasn't going to get away with this. Xigbar was going to make him ask. He sighed. Fine. "So what happened?"

Xigbar nodded, appeased. "Vexen collapsed," he finally explained. "Passed out. Hit the floor. Bam. He does that a lot. Staying up all night to finish his work and not getting enough sleep. He's just freakin' off his rocker. And at his age, he _needs_ a rocker! Hahaha!"

Marluxia's body automatically froze. Slowly, his fork slipped out of his gloved fingers, clanging against his near-empty plate with a disturbingly high noise. Immediately, he scooped it up again. Marluxia couldn't feel guilt, of course…and even if he could, he wouldn't have. But there was still a reaction…a gut-wrenching pull on his insides at the impact of the words. A realization. _Did _I _do that? _

He shook himself internally. _No. There's no way. It was his decision to stay up all night. Just because I ruined his work, it's not like I forced him to stay up and finish it. He's just insane. But…but what kind of punishment would he have faced for _not_ having it done? Would it have been worse? _

Xigbar opened his one eye at him again, cocking his head interestedly at his reaction. "A little shocked? Nah, it's fine. I know you haven't met Vexen yet, but once you do, you'll understand. This sort of thing is a pretty common occurrence for him."

"But—but what happened to him? What are they going to do about it?"

Xigbar chuckled and cocked a thumb back towards the busy table. "Get in the queue. Zexion's the one who found him, that's why they're all buzzing around him like a pack of flies."

_He won't tell me_, Marluxia realized. _He knows, of course, but he won't tell me._ Marluxia scooped up what was left of his pancakes and quickly dumped them off in the trash, sliding the plate across the serving counter. Saïx glanced back at him, one eyebrow arched, but remained silent.

Xigbar watched, arms crossed, as he stormed straight out of the mess hall, completely ignoring the so-called "queue".

Marluxia just had to get out of there. There was no way he was going to beg for information in front of everyone else…not only would he be subjecting himself to their whims…but everyone would know there was some reason for him to be concerned about Vexen. Xigbar was already getting suspicious with the way he'd just automatically reacted like that. Why _had_ he reacted so strongly?

_It's a victory, really,_ Marluxia thought, as he made his way back to his room _If I made him pass out, it's just an added bonus to last night's triumph. _

But there was another voice in the back of his mind which softly regretted… _I never meant to really harm him…_ Strange as it was, he thought he'd actually miss bantering with Vexen in the lab tonight. It had always been entertaining.

_Come to think of it, what _am _I going to do tonight? _Marluxia wondered, as he grabbed the last of his potions and magic panels and began to make his way down one level to the Grey Area. _Even if he's unconscious, the serum's effect should still activate at nine… Wonderful. I'm going to have to find out where they've taken him so that I can go sit next to his lifeless body for two hours. _This was one scenario he hadn't ever counted on.

_Why didn't Vexen himself see this coming? Some genius he is. He should've at least gotten a few minutes' worth of sleep so he wouldn't have passed out. Though I'm the only one that has to suffer, really. He gets let off the hook for being knocked out. That could have been his plan all along, the sneaky old… Though I wonder if being in pain would wake him up. It would probably only make his condition worse. _

The thought of once again attempting to kill Vexen crossed Marluxia's mind in that instant…but suddenly, he had an equally sudden and potent thought. The thought that…he didn't really want Vexen to die. At least not now. He wanted to see him again.

But all thoughts about tonight were pushed to the back of his mind as soon as he finally entered the Grey Area. _Solo mission. Right._

Everyone else in the room (which was the majority of the Organization) turned to look at him, and it was like the first day all over again. This was his "test"…his final step in becoming fully inducted into the Organization. He couldn't afford to be spacing out about his plans for nine o'clock now. That would have to be dealt with later.

Marluxia glanced across the room, showing a confident face to his roomful of challengers…and thankfully, a few of them turned away, tucking back into their own little groups, chattering and waiting for the assignments to begin.

"Alright, quiet, everyone!" Saïx barked, clutching tightly to a clipboard in his hand. "Now that we're all here, it's time for today's mission briefing."

_Everyone except Vexen_, Marluxia couldn't help thinking. _Well…I don't even think he goes on missions, does he? His "missions" are his own lab work. I can't see why they'd need him for any kind of combat anyway—with him passing out on a regular basis, he can't be that strong. Come to think of it, what kind of weapon does he have? I've never seen it…because I've never seen him outside the lab… _

"Zexion and Demyx, you two are performing a bit of minor recon at Borealis. There isn't much reason to go back there, in my opinion, but Superior thinks it would be best if we tie up any loose ends and just scout the place out a little more…make sure we're finished with it."

Zexion snapped his book closed, a somewhat irritated look on his face. "Joy."

"Aww, man!" Demyx whined. "Why'd you have to put me with _Zexion_? He's so boring! And he won't even let me slack off."

"That would be precisely why I have placed him with you," Saïx continued. "Perhaps he might be a good influence."

While Demyx groaned and complained, Saïx rattled off the rest of the list. "Luxord and Lexaeus, you're heading to Halloween Town for a little Heartless control, Axel, just go…gather some data at Twilight Town for me, and I want Xigbar and Xaldin you-know-where today."

"Ah, really? Awesome!" Xigbar pumped a fist in the air, somewhat childishly. "I've wanted to take a visit to that place ever since Axel came back from it utterly traumatized."

Axel's head snapped around to look at him, the points of his incredibly spiky hair quivering. "I wasn't 'utterly traumatized'. Seriously, I wouldn't have minded staying there another hour or so if it wasn't for the-"

"That's enough," Saïx warned them. The last thing he needed now was for an argument to break out and further delay the briefing assignments. "And need I remind you…" he turned back to Xigbar and Xaldin. "This is first and foremost a learning opportunity. Since we want Xaldin trained on recruitment duties soon, this will be your chance to get in some valuable practice. Especially since I may need you to train a few other members in the future, Xigbar."

"_Jeez_, kid," Xigbar swung his fist with annoyance. "You're just taking away all my fun, aren't you?"

Saïx glared back at him warningly, and it took Xigbar a few moments to notice.

"Oh! Yeah. Sorry about the 'kid' crack…old habits die hard and all that."

Saïx just gave another annoyed look and ignored him, turning to Marluxia at last.

_I have to think of some way of getting him outside and threatening him so that he'll summon his weapon. You know, I could just bypass all that trouble and ask someone. But then they might be even more suspicious about me being curious about Vexen… It'll be even worse with what I'm going to have to do later today…_

"Number Eleven! Pay attention!"

Marluxia finally snapped out of his thinking trance when he heard the faint echoes of Saïx calling his name. "Wha—oh, yes! Excuse me."

Xigbar shot another interested look his way. Just a second ago, Marluxia had been all gung-ho about his solo mission, and now here he was spacing out just when it was about to be assigned to him.

_Damnit_, Marluxia cursed to himself. _Vexen is ruining my life again! I have to stop thinking about him. Or worrying about what I'm going to do about the contractual serum tonight. …But that whole weapon thing had nothing to do with the contractual serum… Aaaarrgh, God, I hate him so much! _

"You are being assigned to Agrabah. There are a few Heartless there that I think might suit your specialty. You are to bring three live specimens back with you for testing and observation. It's crucial that they be alive and unharmed."

Marluxia looked back at him, giving off a deliberately surprised expression. _That's it? _That's _my big solo mission? Running after a bunch of Heartless and catching them? I figured I'd at least get to battle something good-sized for my final test. What a disappointment. _

Saïx leveled his gaze straight back at him. "And if you're thinking this is an easy assignment, know that I chose this mission specifically as a test for you. My observations of your previous performances indicate that while you possess great power, you occasionally have trouble controlling that power and knowing how and when to use it. It will be a challenge for you to resist accidentally killing these Heartless. And although this is your final test, there will be no room at all for failure. This is a very important mission—we are currently underway with a project to create alternate varieties of existing Heartless…and these have been selected as possible subjects for variances. Do you understand?"

Marluxia focused his eyes on the paper in Saïx's hand, trying to envision the coming challenge, forcing everything else into the back of his mind. _Simple. Catch some Heartless, bring them back alive. In and out. There's plenty to do when you come back later. _For the first time in his nonexistent life, Marluxia actually had the sense of…being busy. It was an odd, clenching sensation of vague urgency…and it was strangely invigorating. It was giving him the push he needed to get things done…right now!

He nodded. "Yes. I will bring them back here safe and sound. You can count on me."

Saïx gave a curt nod and turned back to address the entire gathering. "As you all know, the dark corridors will not reappear until you have completed your respective missions… and I expect all of you back here by five o' clock."

Axel smirked. He was always spending extra time after completing his mission just wandering around exploring or enjoying himself, and he was happy for the five o' clock curfew. He'd make sure to get his mission done by two o' clock and then have three more hours to goof off. Somehow, Axel was never back before the curfew time…except for _that_ mission, since he'd hated it so much.

Demyx gave another groan of protest, but Zexion gave him a swift whack with his book to shut him up. The curfew was entirely the opposite for him…as he tended not to be able to finish within the allotted seven hours.

Xigbar was overly enthusiastic, hands twitching at his sides, almost jumping up and down with excitement, while Xaldin just turned his face and pretended he didn't know him.

Luxord and Lexaeus, as always, had no reaction at all.

Finally, Saïx stashed his clipboard away in an inside pocket of his coat, and with one swift arm motion backwards, summoned five dark corridors at once…something apparently only he and the Superior could do. Instinctually, the Organization members were able to tell which corridor was meant for them…the Darkness inside of them resonated with the Darkness of their respective corridor, almost as if the corridors themselves were trying to draw them in.

Xigbar barreled straight into his corridor as soon as it appeared, and Xaldin, sighing, followed. Axel went after them, disappearing with a slight smile on his face.

"Good luck." Marluxia felt a sudden tap as Luxord passed by, patting his shoulder. He had just enough time to mutter a quick "thanks" before Luxord and Lexaeus stepped into their assigned portal.

"I don't wanna gooooo!" Demyx whined, but Zexion dragged him to the portal regardless, nearly shoving him inside like a hefty piece of luggage. Now it was just Marluxia.

A tense silence filled the room, broken only by the vague hum of the last remaining portal as its dark particles swirled and misted together. He looked up to meet Saïx's expectant yellow eyes and took a deep breath. Time to get it over with. Marluxia stepped up to his portal, feeling the very physical sensation of the Darkness calling out to him, pulling at the ends of his skin with tiny invisible tendrils. And that was when he suddenly realized something.

"…Hey," he called out to Saïx, over the faint whirling of the Darkness. "Don't I get a cage or something to bring these Heartless back in?"

Saïx's face was hard. "Figure it out for yourself."

And before Marluxia could get another word in, his body was being pulled forward into the miniature maelstrom of darkness…and through to the other side of his destiny.

(-)

_Ew…it's so hot._ Marluxia stepped forward, feeling a squishy, soft surface rise up to meet his feet. The heels of his boots dug into it with a soft _pssh_ and he scrunched his face even more with disgust. _Sand. _He hated the heat. Well, he hated the cold too. In fact, he hated any kind of extreme temperature…he only liked it when it was mildly warm. He especially hated this kind of heat…_dry_ heat. Already he could feel his mouth drying out, the back of his neck prickling. And of course, the Organization had to wear such ridiculously thick coats. Though, according to his preferences, Marluxia's had formed to be tight around the chest, though somewhat looser in the arms and waist, to allow freedom of movement.

At last, the Darkness receded, and he looked around at this world called "Agrabah". He scowled. _A desert town. Wonderful. _Nothing grew here at all…except maybe a few cacti. Marluxia glanced around the immediate area, taking in the tall, adobe buildings, and the various wooden stalls, deserted, yet decked out with multicolored awnings. Various boxes, crates, and merchandise were stacked behind these stalls, though the area was, conveniently, empty. The Organization always picked the precise opportune moments in which to send its agents to a world. Right now, everyone was probably indoors for some strange reason.

Marluxia glanced back towards where the portal had disappeared, then up towards the sky. Was Saïx watching him right now? There was no way he could be…but then again, he wouldn't put it past him to have some kind of magical spying device fixed on him, watching from the comforts of the castle rooftops with the Superior. Darn. If he could be sure he was alone, he'd just take off his coat and do this mission bare-chested. In fact, he really wouldn't have minded if any other Organization members had been with him…he just didn't know how Saïx would react to something like that...knowing him, he might dock points for improper mission decorum.

Marluxia grumbled to himself and just pulled off his gloves instead. At least those he could take off without being potentially inappropriate. He wished he had some kind of rubber band to tie his hair back… Wait…tie…

With a little smirk of recognition, Marluxia raised a hand and a small coil of vine studded with tiny purple flowers grew up out of his hand. He broke it off and quickly gathered his hair into a tiny ponytail stub, using the vine as a temporary rope to hold it in place. And thus, in the process, he discovered just how he was going to capture these Heartless.

_My powers_, he thought. _I can just use these flower-vines to tie them up and incapacitate them. It'll be a cinch. _

Marluxia took a few steps out into the area, looking around and assessing his surroundings. Come to think of it, he realized, Saïx never told him exactly what kind of Heartless he was looking for. All he'd said was "they might suit your specialty" and that he had to catch three of them. He took another step, and a trio of Shadows appeared around him, twitching feebly. Marluxia summoned his scythe with one sweep of his hand and a spray of pink petal-shaped sparks, taking all three of them out in the same instant. They disappeared in little puffs of black smoke as if they'd been nothing more than gas clouds.

_Something that suits my specialty, huh?_ Marluxia mused, slinging the scythe over one shoulder. _I suppose I'll know it when I see it._

Thus, for the next twenty minutes or so, he wandered around the area, leaping up onto the tops of buildings, sidling across thin wooden beams, peering through windows, and breaking open a few pots. So far all he had seen were useless Shadows. Hopefully he'd be forgiven for breaking the pots. After all, they were lying out in plain sight—a Heartless could have been hiding in one of them. And the Organization seemed to condone the breaking of pots, anyway, if the "break 100 pots" exercise Xaldin had previously given him was any indication. Apparently, Nobodies weren't very appreciative of pottery.

Marluxia was just on the verge of becoming frustratingly bored…when he stepped through a doorway, and all of a sudden, something appeared in a burst of Darkness with a deep poof sound. Just as he'd suspected, he knew instantaneously that this was the one. The Heartless that popped up out of the ground was attached to the sand with a green stem marked with the artificial Heartless symbol. It unfurled its four pink petals, revealing a yellow-eyed face.

Marluxia laughed out loud, and he hoped Saïx could see it. _A flower Heartless. "Something that suits my specialty" all right. Couldn't he have thought of something a little more creative? _

Though this let him know…he was going to have to a work harder at modifying his image. He couldn't have the rest of the Organization looking at him and only seeing pink floweriness.

He gave it a baleful, disgusted look, as if blaming it for his current situation. _It looks like a complete pushover as well. Who do they think I am? They've been watching me during training, how could they underestimate me like this? …Then again, Saïx probably set this up to make sure the Heartless targets _were_ sufficiently feeble. It's a test, not of my combat skills, but of my wits, my intuition… Very well, then. _

Marluxia's interior monologue had given the flower-Heartless just enough time to shudder and draw itself inward…producing a seed from its mouth, which it shot straight out towards him at a fairly decent speed. However, a fairly decent speed wasn't good enough to catch Marluxia. Even lost in his cloud of thought, he easily sidestepped the seed…and even then, it probably wouldn't have done much damage, since he had ten percent flower-type resistance.

_Pathetic_, he scoffed. _And to think _this _is the creature they associate with me. Well…hopefully, the tests they plan to run on them and the varieties they plan to make will be a bit more formidable. _

Marluxia simply raised one hand, and a group of thick flower-studded vines burst out from the sandy ground like flailing tentacles. Being unable to move, the little Heartless could only give a weak yelp before it was engulfed in thick green rope-like tendrils, squeezing its helpless little petals together.

_Ah! I overdid it a bit…_ Quickly, Marluxia dashed forward, using the end of his scythe to chop off the extra, unneeded vines until the Heartless was only bound, uncomfortable but alive, inside a little globe of intertwined plants.

Effortlessly, he stepped forward and plucked it from the ground, holding it trapped in its little vine-cage. The Heartless made vague, barely-audible squeaking noises of protest and its whole body shivered again, trying to spit up another seed, but a pair of thin vines wrapped across his head prevented that seed from escaping. Marluxia loosened one pair of vines, marked by two bell-flowers, and slipped his fingers under them, using them as a handle and swinging the captured Heartless ahead of him like some kind of lantern.

"One down, two to go," he spoke to himself in satisfaction.

As it turned out, the most difficult part of this mission was actually locating the Heartless. It took Marluxia another hour and a half to find the other two, especially the last one, which was well-hidden behind a merchant stall and under a stack of decorative plates. It was also quite cumbersome lugging all three of them together back through three gated areas, to where the corridor of darkness had let him off.

Perfectly enough, the dark swirl on the ground was already waiting for him when he got there…meaning the mission was complete. Marluxia smirked and took one last look around the Agrabah market area before stepping straight into it. Nope. He wouldn't miss this place. Not one bit. In fact, he hoped to never have to come back here…though of course he wouldn't make a big scene about hating his assigned world, as Axel had.

As Marluxia was riding the darkness stream back to the Castle That Never Was, three Heartless in tow, he performed a quick internal time-check. Time sometimes got a little skewered in the jump between worlds…it passed at different speeds on some planets, and it was almost the same as checking a time-zone difference. He had plenty of extra time before the five o' clock curfew…and that was a good thing. He would _need_ that extra time…especially with what he was now attempting to plan for tonight.

(-)

As expected, Saïx was still standing there waiting when Marluxia reappeared in the Grey Area. Although he'd essentially only been on his mission for two hours, four hours had passed in the castle, and Luxord and Lexaeus had already returned ahead of him. He could've sworn he saw Luxord chuckling behind another hand of cards at his appearance, but he stubbornly ignored him.

Saïx raised an eyebrow at him from above his clipboard. "Wonderful use of your element to fulfill the mission's requirements…though you do have an interesting choice in accessorizing."

That's when Marluxia remembered that he still had the little bell-flower vine tying back his hair. Darn, so _that _was probably what Luxord was laughing at. Ah, well. He reached up and smoothly yanked the little green coils out of his hair. "It may look a little odd, but it helped me figure out how to capture the Heartless," he admitted. "Unusual methods, yes, but at the end of the day, same results."

Saïx nodded and made a quick note on his clipboard before summoning three miniature portals to transport the three vine-caged flower-Heartless to some undisclosed location. "You've performed well today, Number Eleven…thank you. The Superior and I will review your activity and have it properly analyzed and your internal rank assigned by the end of the day."

"Internal rank?"

Apparently, it was a question he shouldn't have asked. Saïx frowned and gave him a warning sideways look. "You'll find out soon enough." And that was that.

_Internal rank? _Marluxia wondered again, as he made his way to one of the lounge sofas to relax for a little while. _Does that mean…everyone in the Organization has a second ranking…a secret ranking? Like how Saïx is essentially Number Two even though he's Number Seven? That probably means his "internal rank" is two. _That was certainly encouraging. Marluxia knew he wasn't good enough as it was right now to make it to number three…but he was hoping at least for an internal rank of five…or four. Wouldn't _that _make Vexen mad?

Marluxia then did something that he wouldn't usually do under any other kind of circumstance…hang out in the Grey Area. He had to wait for the right moment, and that meant, unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to leave for a while. He sat down, forcing himself to get comfortable on one of the sofas, and Luxord dragged Lexaeus over to talk to him.

For the next hour, Luxord told him about how their mission went with Lexaeus nodding in affirmation at the appropriate times. Marluxia chimed in with little questions and comments, encouraging him. Anything to make the time pass more smoothly. Fortunately, Xigbar and Xaldin returned just before Luxord ran out of steam.

Xigbar was still as excitable as ever, leaping out of the portal and snapping himself into a salute towards Saïx. "Mission accomplished, Sir X-Face! I had Xaldy rope in a fair roomful of Dusks. Should replace the ones he had Number Eleven kill off two days ago. Serves him right, don't you think. Yeah, I make him work occasionally."

Xaldin scowled at him, flicking one braid over his shoulder as he stepped out of the portal. "We both know—I don't take orders from _you_."

"He puts up a struggle, I tell you, but I get him under control. I always get him under control…"

Xaldin stepped right past Xigbar and handed a couple of papers to Saïx, unperturbed. "The Dusks weren't all that we retrieved," he spoke, firmly and gravely. "We ran into a bit of interesting information as well."

"Yes," Xigbar consented, getting back down to business now. "You two should take a look at that over a nice cold glass of lemonade. I think you'll find something particularly surprising…"

Xaldin glanced back at him. "…Why lemonade?"

Xigbar shrugged. "I like lemonade."

Saïx's eyes skimmed over the top paper, and he quickly pocketed them, his jaw clenching ever so slightly. "Thank you. I knew that world would be of use to us. You are both dismissed for now. I'll be relaying your performance to the Superior for evaluation."

The two of them exchanged a few more words, before Xaldin headed off on his own, leaving Xigbar to wander over to Marluxia, Luxord, and Lexaeus's corner. He stretched his arms behind his head and grinned as he approached, and Marluxia tried not to meet his eye.

_What makes him so special? _He wondered with resentment. _Just because he's ranked at Number Two? Everyone has to put up with him just because Xemnas likes him or something? Anyone else would've gotten mauled to death for calling Saïx "Sir X-Face". _

"Hey, dudes!" he called, plopping himself down on the end of the second sofa, next to Lexaeus, who didn't even turn to look at him. "Back already? So how'd that solo mission go, Marly?"

"Fairly well," Marluxia simply told him, and launched into a simple explanation of what had happened and how he had used his powers to capture the Heartless without harming them. Thankfully, that got Luxord started on another rundown of his mission and Xigbar played along with it…though Marluxia took note that Xigbar never said anything about his _own _mission. Apparently, his little jaunt with Xaldin had been top-secret.

Marluxia just kept up his end of the conversation faithfully, waiting and watching.

At precisely 4:42, Demyx came dragging himself out of a portal, still clutching his blue sitar, with Zexion right behind him, prodding him along. They also had a quick check-in with Saïx, riddled with complaints, before heading off.

"Man, I'm beat," Demyx whined, slumping his shoulders. "Sorry, guys, but I'm just gonna go take a nap now."

The others murmured various send-offs, and Marluxia joined in. Lexaeus rose when Zexion approached, and the two of them just walked away without a word. Now it was just Marluxia, Xigbar, and Luxord.

Good. This was just what Marluxia was waiting for. Their numbers were dwindling now. It shouldn't be much longer…

At last, Axel came through his dark corridor on the far left of the room…at 4:59 on the nose. Strangely enough, he only threw a small packet of papers to Saïx and stalked off, not even turning to look at the couch group. Saïx tucked the papers away as if this was just part of the routine, and Xigbar and Luxord didn't even bat an eye either.

_I guess Axel just does that sometimes…when he's been out on a mission by himself_, Marluxia observed. _The solo missions have some kind of special effect on him. _

After a little longer, Luxord dismissed himself and also left the lounge. Then at last…it was Xigbar's turn.

"Welp, I don't mean to leave you hanging, but I'd better get going too," he announced, resting a seemingly friendly hand on his shoulder. "And I know you're probably all anxious to see your evaluation results."

"Oh, I wouldn't say anxious," Marluxia smoothly replied. "More like eager."

"Ah, yes. Of course." Xigbar gave a few more words of semi-encouragement and then left.

And at last, the moment Marluxia had been waiting for had arrived. He was finally alone in the Grey Area with Saïx. He was loath to approach him again…but he'd needed the rest of the room empty. The less people to hear it, the better. But there was no way he could turn away…this question was one of utmost importance. He'd have to make an effort to at least get information out of him, otherwise he'd be wandering around blindly in another four hours while screaming in pain.

Saïx gave him a confused, disparaging look as he approached, almost automatically revoking him. Apparently, he had been packing up to leave the Grey Area for the day as well. But Marluxia carefully stepped up to his side, choosing his voice tone and mannerisms selectively.

"Excuse me," he spoke, lining his voice with complete respect and deference. "But I heard about this morning's occurrences and was wondering if you might tell me where exactly Vexen is being kept now, so that I may be of some assistance to him."

Saïx frowned, no doubt scrutinizing Marluxia's appearance and trying to figure out what he possibly could be thinking by asking a question like that. "There is no reason for concern. Our Superior has taken him to a secure area in which he can rest and recover. He recognizes that Number Four is a valuable asset and will make sure that he is well taken care of."

"I know," Marluxia replied, prodding a little deeper, while still keeping his most humble expression intact. "I just wanted to see him because I seem to be reacting with a sort of worry towards the event. It would just ease my mind if I could see him, at least once."

Saïx firmly shook his head. "I apologize, but I cannot allow that. Your presence would only exasperate the situation. But I repeat to you, there is no cause for alarm. Number Four is in our Superior's care now. There is no reason you _should _need to see him. That is, if you _trust_ our Superior."

Damnit. Saïx had him trapped. Marluxia gently gave up with a defeated slouch. "Oh. Well, I understand. I hope he'll be back soon, though. I've never experienced another member of our Organization being unwell before. You can imagine how it might be distressing to me."

"It will be fine," Saïx stated, in a tone which clearly said "this conversation is over."

Marluxia nodded, slightly. "If you say so."

And finally, he turned to walk away, already beginning to formulate a strategy for getting past their security. There was no doubt that he had to see Vexen tonight…or suffer the effects of the contractual serum. But from the way Saïx kept repeating that he was in the Superior's care, he'd gathered enough to know that he had to be somewhere within Xemnas's inner sanctum…a place not even Xigbar was allowed to enter. But he had to make it there somehow…and not just because of the pain.

For some reason…it wasn't just because of the serum that Marluxia wanted to see him. He was also…curious. Not guilty, just confused…he needed to see what he had done…inadvertently, of course. And he couldn't help thinking that, really, he _didn't _trust Xemnas with Vexen. After all, he was the one ordering him to siphon his life away into these Replica beings. For all he knew, whatever Xemnas was doing with him now could only be injuring him even more…killing him faster. Marluxia didn't really know why it mattered…logically, everything really would be better for him if Vexen was gone…but it just _did_…a lot.

Marluxia returned straight to his room and immediately began rearranging his notes to make room for infiltration plans. He quickly checked the castle layout blueprint Xigbar had given him after Demyx's "grand tour", in case he ever got lost…but of course Xemnas's inner sanctum was left blank. At least from this map, he could tell that it was on the seventh floor, just below his beloved rooftop balcony…and that there were several storage rooms across from it on the western wing. There were bound to be security cameras…

Marluxia quickly scribbled down notes and ideas until seven, when he had to return to the Fruitless Mess Hall for dinner, or else the other members would get suspicious. To his chagrin, Luxord seemed to think that he was his friend now, and he was forced to endure his company through the whole half-hour meal, with Xigbar occasionally popping in to further aggravate him.

At least Marluxia had his plan to keep him distracted and aware. Simply the knowledge that he was planning something completely against the Organization's rules filled him with a buzzing undercurrent of adrenaline. Breaking the law was a thrill, as any criminal could tell you. But Marluxia wasn't doing this out of spite…though he very well could have been. He had no choice in the matter.

The little buzz in his chest was escalating as he finished his dish and brought it back up to the counter, along with Xigbar and Demyx. Then he turned, saying farewell to them and exiting the hall, heading straight up the stairs. He kept up every appearance of going directly back to his room, in case anyone else happened to be watching…but as soon as he reached the fifth floor landing, he turned around…and headed up to the sixth.

Marluxia had never been up here, to his knowledge. Saïx had brought him up these stairs when he'd taken him to the rooftops to meet Xemnas, but at that time, he'd barely been conscious of his surroundings. He had to really be conscious now…aware of every tiny nuance in the environment…everything that could potentially help him…or get in his way. Fortunately, Marluxia was an expert at just these sorts of observations.

The sixth floor was mostly empty, aside from the hordes of minor Nobodies contained within some of the holding rooms. He saw a small group of Dusks hopping about towards the end of the hallway, but that was all. At least he knew they were here, in case he had to use one of them for something.

Carefully, Marluxia ascended to the seventh floor, glancing left and right cautiously for any hidden security devices. Tiny lights on the wall, invisible laser receptors on the ceiling, tiny alarm trip wires. Nope—it was clean. It should be, in essence. Any one of the lower members should be allowed access to these storage rooms. In fact, Marluxia's story if Saïx happened to find him up here was that he'd been looking for a shovel to help him out with his gardening and he'd heard that the Organization often kept extra tools up here in the storage closets. Of course, that excuse might not entirely work on _Saïx_, especially since he'd just been asking him about Vexen, but it was a perfectly legitimate reason to be here. They couldn't do anything about that.

It was a pretty large floor, and it took Marluxia quite a while to navigate through it until he came to a thick, barred doorway marked with a giant Nobody symbol, which had to be the main entrance to Xemnas's quarters. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a tiny blue globe on the ceiling tracking his movements. Oh, well, he was already on camera at least once. There was no way he was getting in the front door anyway. Marluxia marched straight past it, noticing the rectangular device in the wall next to it, most likely some kind of handprint-scanner, retina scanner, power signature analyzer or some other crazy high-security identity verifier. Briefly, Marluxia wondered if even Saïx had the correct codes and whatnot to be able to unlock the door.

_Why _is _no one allowed to see Vexen? _He found himself wondering again, half-concerned. _If Xemnas took him and locked him up somewhere inside that complex where no one else in the Organization would be able to get to him…there must be something going on that he doesn't want them to see. Maybe…he never even collapsed in the first place. Maybe Xemnas just wanted to take him to do something awful to him and didn't want the rest of the Organization getting suspicious. Zexion would have to be in on it too. _

He imagined Vexen, naked, pinned to a wall, as a giant tube protruding from his torso steadily pumped out his internal fluids, mingled with darkness, while Xemnas simply held a lever pressed down. Marluxia shook his head, pink locks smacking his cheeks. _What the hell? Ew. That was disgusting. Curse my over-active imagination. I'm sure it's nothing like _that_. But I _am_ going to find out what it _is_… and very soon. _

With his keen observation skills, it was only ten more minutes before he'd found a secret entrance on the opposite side, which wasn't as heavily guarded. Peering around the corner, he deployed his security-camera strategy, which was to make a large sunflower grow right over the little blue camera bulb, completely obscuring it. Marluxia couldn't help smirking as he slipped down the hallway, proceeding to use more vines to feel out the keypad lock and twist its circuits into the correct position. No one would think an element like flowers would be useful for breaking into a secret area…but obviously, he knew better. The others might laugh at him for it, but he knew the real worth of his element. It was a lot more powerful than they thought…and someday, they'd all pay dearly for making fun of it.

Marluxia's blue eyes flashed from under his bangs as the lock clicked open. He pushed his way inside…and the heavy door closed right behind him with an ominous slam. The sound would be on the security tape for sure. Marluxia gritted his teeth. They would know later on, of course, that he had broken in…but he could worry about that later.

Quickly, he dispatched several shots of pink energy, covering the three cameras on the other side of the doorway with sunflowers before they could detect his presence. He paused to take a breath and focus. This was it…he was in, and he had to be even more cautious than before. From what he'd seen on the map, the Superior's quarters were surprisingly large. They took up more than half the floor, and Marluxia could already tell, from the lengthy corridors before him, that they must be comprised of several different rooms and areas.

_What in nonexistence does he need _this_ much space for?_ Marluxia resentfully wondered. He was probably just like one of those millionaires, living alone in his own mansion, just to throw his money in other people's faces.

It was getting close to nine o' clock by this time…and a little irritation was beginning around Marluxia's left ear again. _Why always my left ear?_

But that was when he realized. _…I don't need to search this entire floor. I've got my own built-in locator. _Marluxia sat and waited for the next three or four minutes while the pain escalated. It didn't get anywhere near as bad as it had been before, since he was at least on the same floor as Vexen now, but it was still a persistently annoying throb over his entire body. However, he could use this pain to play "hot-cold" with and locate Vexen by finding the path which hurt the least.

He made his way all the way to the end of the hall, carefully taking out security cameras and devices along the way, and the pain seemed to recede just a little bit. _Good. He's closer. Now, right or left?_

Marluxia tested each way by taking five steps left and then five steps right. The pain seemed to feel slightly worse when he went to the left. _Right then… _Marluxia carefully crept down a few more hallways, following the trail of lessening pain, until he came to a short hall in which the pain had become nothing more than a minor discomfort…though that left-ear stinging was still present. _He's in a room somewhere down here, I know it._

Marluxia slowly, carefully slipped down this hall, stopping in front of every door to feel his own body's mild aching and trying to discern if it felt any better. When he came to the last door, suddenly, it seemed like he'd received a surge of energy. The tiny ache was instantly gone, and he could only feel a bit of a prickle in his inner ear.

_This is it. _Marluxia noticed that his hand was automatically shaking as he reached for the doorknob. There was no reason it should be…but still, he wasn't sure exactly what he was going to find on the other side. Well, he was going to find Vexen, that was for sure, but would he be alone? What would he be doing? What would he look like? Now that he was so close, he could essentially just sit outside the door for the next two hours…but then he'd risk being caught if Xemnas happened to wander by this particular hallway…and he'd never find out…

"Dammit," Marluxia cursed under his breath. He had to go in. Finally, he turned the doorknob, and just pushed the door open, stepping inside. And instantly felt a drop of disappointment.

Nothing. Marluxia wasn't really sure what he had been expecting, but it should have been something better than this. Something a little flashier, maybe? These were the Superior's quarters, after all, even if he had about three dozen rooms.

It looked just like any other random Organization bedroom…the blue-grey bed and nightstand decorated with the standard Nobody symbol, one window looking out on nothingness, the walls lined with computer-chip zigzags and circles.

And there was a figure resting, wrapped in the white covers of the bed, facing the ceiling. Vexen. Immediately, the last traces of the stinging in his ear faced away. Marluxia rubbed it and stepped up even closer, until he was right at his bedside, to get a better look.

It took him a moment to realize that he was actually still alive. Vexen was so very still that you could only notice the subtle rise and fall of his chest if you stared very closely. His face was still terribly pale and grayish, which made him look even older, the lines around his brow, eyes, and mouth more defined by their absence of color. His expression was dead…blank…truly, deeply unconscious.

And Marluxia had…no reaction at all. He stood there, staring down at Vexen's frozen features for a whole minute before realizing that he should probably go find somewhere to sit. There weren't any chairs in this cursed little bare bedroom…he could always try to find one in another room, but that could be too much of a risk.

Finally, he just got fed up and dragged the nightstand closer to the side of the bed and hoisted himself onto it. If he was going to be forced to stay here for almost two whole hours, he could at least be comfortable. He leaned awkwardly forward on the edge of the little table, pressing his cheek into his palm in a "thinker" position, yet still glancing back at Vexen, searching for any tiny sign of movement.

_What if he's in a coma or something? _He wondered. _At least that's what it looks like. Maybe that's why Saïx didn't want anybody seeing him…because it's worse than they're all making it out to be. He might not wake up for months. What the hell? I'm going to have to keep doing _this _for months on end? That's ridiculous. I'll have to find some way of getting the contractual serum out of my body by myself. I'll probably have to get it out of him as well… God, Vexen, why do you have to make my non-life so difficult? _

After ten more incredibly dull minutes staring at his lifeless body, Marluxia reached down and poked Vexen's bony cheek. There was no response, of course, so he continued poking his face and prodding his shoulders and pulling his ears, which was at least slightly amusing. He rearranged his mouth into various silly expressions, some of which he'd already seen him make while conscious, and lifted one of his eyelids. His eyeballs were white, rolled back in his head, and Marluxia briefly wondered if he'd wake up if he poked him in the eye. He wasn't about to touch that creepy, slimy, thing though.

Marluxia shoved Vexen's body by the arm, in a vague, half-hearted attempt at waking him up again…and disturbing enough, this time, when his hand met his arm, something squished, softly and almost audibly. That couldn't have been his arm…unless he had some kind of strange arm-tumor growth. Curious, Marluxia lifted the covers, throwing them down around Vexen's waist. He was still fully dressed underneath, even down to the coat-chains on his chest…only his right sleeve was pulled up, revealing a thin arm decorated with tiny bumps and discolored patches. But that wasn't what made Marluxia draw back, shivering slightly in terror.

There was a clear plastic bag attached to Vexen's arm with thin tubes and needles, filled with a dull yellowish-brown liquid, which was slowly emptying into his bloodstream. It was already almost half-depleted, and squishing his hand into it had caused its contents to move around a bit, forming little air pockets. Marluxia knew Lumaira had never been a squeamish person…in fact, he normally had been perfectly fine with bloodshed and medical procedures. He had been able to tune it out as if his body didn't even belong to him anymore. But the sight of this…_thing_ attached to Vexen's veins suddenly made his stomach feel queasy. He quickly covered it back up. It wasn't intravenous fluid…it was too…_thick _for that.

Marluxia closed his eyes for a moment and tried not to think about it. _Well, it's not what I imagined, but… What _is_ Xemnas doing to him? Whatever that thing is, it could only be making him worse. I should just take it off him…but if Xemnas comes in here later, he'll know that I've tampered with his plans. Rrgh, this is so frustrating! _He couldn't really feel the frustration, of course, but a constriction in his body gave him the "frustrated" nomotional signal.

_Xemnas…_ he realized, as he stared back at Vexen's comatose body. _It's not Vexen's fault for pushing himself too far…it's not my fault for ruining his work and making him push himself too far…it's Xemnas's fault for making him work so hard in the first place. _

Marluxia sat, mentally fuming at his superior, which used up another good half-hour chunk of time. He had to think, though…this was purely out of hatred towards his higher-ups…Xemnas's unjust exploitation of his underlings…not because he cared about Vexen at all. Nobodies couldn't even really care about each other…right? He didn't care about what happened to Vexen…except that he really, really wanted to see him again. If he wasn't going to wake up for another two months, then…then that would be torture. Because it was just…_fun _with him. Marluxia could be himself without worrying about offending anyone or making enemies or the others thinking poorly of him. Because he and Vexen were already enemies—he already thought quite poorly of him—he was already sorely offended by him. He wasn't ready to lose that freedom…not for a while.

Slowly, Marluxia's arm moved forward again, almost on its own…and began to brush Vexen's hair. He'd done this before, of course, but it was different now, since he was incapable of stopping him. He could just continue stroking it as long as he wanted. A tiny smile played across Marluxia's lips as he squeezed the dusty blond hair through his fingers. At least this felt good…his hair was so soft and smooth, it just needed to be touched. Almost everyone else in the Organization had such hard, spiky, jagged edges to their hair…but Vexen's hair was the opposite—straight, shiny, and soft. Plain, maybe, next to the other members' bright, flamboyant styles (especially Marluxia's own)…but that was the wonder of it. Marluxia gradually leaned closer, lifting one small clump to his lips. _I really do like his hair_, he admitted. _…Just a shame about the rest of him. _

Marluxia's blue eyes flickered down to take in Vexen's stone face, and traveled over, following the gentle bumps of the rest of his body. Finally, they came to rest at an extra pillow sitting at his feet that he hadn't noticed before. Marluxia grinned wider when a new idea occurred to him at the sight of the pillow. Quickly, he leaped from the nightstand to snatch it up…and then placed it, squarely over Vexen's face, letting it rest there. "Hmm…" he considered, appraising the work. Kind of… Really, almost… Actually… _He looks…pretty like this_, Marluxia finally allowed himself to think. _Unconscious and with his face covered. _He gave a short laugh at that thought. _Better enjoy it while it lasts. _

For the moment, he removed the pillow in order to reach his hair again, and sat back on the nightstand, just running his fingers through it for the next five minutes. _It's too bad he's not on his side_, he realized. _Then I could style it. …Actually, I could probably just roll him onto his side myself. _Marluxia chuckled to himself, imagining Vexen waking up in horror to find his hair suddenly tucked into two braid-pigtails, complete with tiny blue bows. But, suddenly, with another sickening little drop in his stomach, Marluxia remembered the strange brown intravenous bag. He shouldn't move him, in case he disrupted it—caused it to rupture, or ended up pulling it half-out of his arm. With a little frown, he gave Vexen's hair one last caress, tucking several strands behind his right ear. _Too bad,_ he thought. _It would've been beautiful._

A pause.

…_Wait, _what_? What am I thinking? _He turned, huffing to himself, drowning out the sight. _I am not _attracted _to him. Not in the slightest. That's ridiculous. Except for with the face-pillow thing. So I think he has nice hair. Anyone can think anyone else has nice hair. _

But this was different, and Marluxia knew it, somewhere in the crackling energy of his fingertips. Even after they had stopped, it was like they were itching to start up again. Determinedly, Marluxia forced his hands under his elbows, tucking his arms firmly into his chest.

Several more minutes passed. There was no clock in here, so it was difficult to gauge the time exactly…but it must be getting close. Close to eleven o' clock, when he'd be free to leave…though part of him didn't want to. He have to step outside the door and see if the stinging in his ear returned—it was the only way to tell for sure if time was up.

_I should go check_, Marluxia thought, half-heartedly, one cheek buried in his hand.

And just when he was about to slide himself off the nightstand again, a tiny click noise rooted him to the spot.

_No…_

But there was no time to even think another word. It happened so quickly…so suddenly, so unexpectedly…

"Well, hello there."

Marluxia felt his physical-heart clutch at those words. That was it. He was done for. His after-life was about to get a whole lot worse in a few seconds…if he'd even be conscious enough to appreciate it.

Xemnas came striding into the room, eerily calm and collected as ever. There was a strangely composed aura to him, and Marluxia realized he wasn't about to be turned into a Dusk. It was almost like…Xemnas had _expected _him to break in…and to come here. And he didn't know whether he should be relieved or even more worried about that.

Xemnas's piercing yellow eyes shifted back and forth from Marluxia's stricken form to Vexen in his bed. "…You have some sort of special connection to my Number Four." It was a statement, not a question, as if he knew all about their little arrangement, even though there was no way he could have…could he?

Somehow, Marluxia also resented the fact that he'd declared Vexen "his" so matter-of-factly…though he honestly didn't know why. "Well, he _is_ the only member I haven't met in person," Marluxia smoothly explained. "You can't blame me for being immensely curious."

Xemnas's golden eyes swept over him again, but he showed no expression. He came to Vexen's bedside, standing right next to Marluxia's nightstand.

"And I've been meaning to ask…" Marluxia seized the opportunity. He lifted the covers just a little, exposing Vexen's suspicious, gruesome arm-sack. "Just what is…?"

"Not to fear." Xemnas firmly interrupted. "That is simply a nutrient-pack which is being distributed through his body at a steady, measured pace. In fact, I think it's about time to give it a little boost."

Marluxia watched in mild terror as Xemnas reached down and gave the packet a squeeze, pushing a small burst of the fluid into him at once. To his surprise, Vexen moved a bit, a tiny squirm of discomfort, and gave off a very quiet "hmn" noise.

"It will need refilling tomorrow morning," Xemnas noted, more to himself than Marluxia. Then he raised his voice to speak to him again. "As you may now be aware, Number Four often does not take proper care of his own body. These nutrients will eventually atone for the two days' worth of meals he has missed."

_He's been skipping meals too?_ Marluxia thought, with a little jolt. _My God… No wonder he passed out! Not sleeping, not eating, having his life force drained…all the frustration I put him through last night probably didn't help._ He'd known he'd never seen Vexen before at the mess hall, but he'd figured he at least kept some food stocked in that spacious laboratory of his, especially with all those refrigeration units.

When Marluxia looked again at Vexen's expressionless face, for the first time he noticed not only how pale and grey it was but how _hollow_…how thin. Of course, Vexen's cheekbones were always protruding, but right now, he looked positively _gaunt_. It gave Marluxia another slightly sick feeling in his stomach.

"It's almost lamentable, really," Xemnas spoke again, reaching forward to pull the covers back in place. "He doesn't recognize his own value."

_His value to _you_, you mean_, Marluxia resentfully thought, as he tried not to let it show on his face. He'd been getting a little too used to the mechanics of these "nomotions" of his. _His own value as a source of life force for you. As if he's just a giant battery with blond hair. _

"My Other and Vexen's Other used to work closely together." Xemnas turned back around to face him directly again. "They were the research team. Though I fear they were in competition most of the time…"

_What is he trying to say? _Marluxia fumed. _That he has a stronger connection? That I should back off because they had a history already? Zexion had a history with Vexen too, but he isn't nearly as possessive. Why is this bothering me so much? _

Xemnas put on his chilling, mysterious smile again, softly reaching back to lay a hand on Vexen's chest. Suddenly, Marluxia wanted to leap up, smack his hand away, and yell "don't touch him!"...but didn't, of course. Any of these little urges were quelled by his own confused thoughts of "why am I even thinking like this?"

"It usually becomes my responsibility to pick up the pieces once his research fails. Yet I always do, because Vexen is a valuable resource. He may be damaged and unstable, but he does have a brilliant mind. It's a shame that mind weren't coupled with a more rational and level-headed demeanor…such as mine." Xemnas gave Vexen's chest a quick pat, which made Marluxia bristle internally again, before finally moving away. "Ah, well. He should be up and about again tomorrow, so don't worry. He's already looking a lot better than he had this morning."

_Great Darkness, what must he have looked like this morning?_

"That's a relief," Marluxia spoke again, sliding himself off the nightstand for the final time, with as much grace and elegance as one could when getting off a table. "Well, I suppose I should leave him a little gift before I go…"

Marluxia couldn't help but try to show off a bit in front of the Superior. After all, it could earn him extra points towards his internal ranking…plus, he'd wanted to leave something to let Vexen know he'd been here anyway. Concentrating, Marluxia pulled his hands in towards his chest…and a bundle of flowers gradually materialized between them, forming out of his own thoughts and senses. Two bunches of little curling lavender hyacinths and three pink azeleas.

"_I'm sorry" and "take care of yourself". Perfect. _

He set the simple bouquet on the nightstand and glanced back at Xemnas again, with a hint of trepidation.

The Organization's mysterious leader only nodded softly to him. "Until tomorrow then." It was a sort of dismissal, and Marluxia knew it generally meant "okay, now get the heck out of my room."

He gave a quick, semi-polite head bow in reply, stole one last look at Vexen over his shoulder, and then slipped straight out the door. Thankfully, the two hours were up now, and Marluxia didn't even feel a twinge of discomfort.

…_._ For once, his thoughts were entirely blank. He didn't know what to think. Between Xemnas's admissive behavior and his own disturbing reactions towards Vexen, it felt as if he couldn't even process or comprehend what had just happened…maybe because he didn't have a heart. It was as if he'd just walked through some kind of parallel dimension or had woken up from a weird dream. He was ready to blame either Xigbar or Zexion in an instant.

But still…in any case, as Marluxia wound his way back through the halls, he hoped Xemnas was right…and he _would_ get to see Vexen awake again tomorrow night.

(-)

_"Oh, he's lovely, Gwen, he looks just like you." _

"_I know, why thank you. I'm quite happy he came out looking like me…except for that nasty facial tick of his—he got that from his father. And I've been bringing him up with the most respectful of mannerisms... Even, say hello to the nice man." _

"…"

"_You'll have to excuse him—he's a little shy. I've been trying to get him out of it for years." _

"_That's just fine. My daughter is the same way with strangers… Hello, Even. I saw you before when you were just a tiny baby, but you don't remember me, do you? How old are you now?" _

"…_Eight." _

"_Eight—that's a wonderful age. And what grade are you in at school?" _

"_Seventh." _

"…_No, no, I meant what number grade, you know like Second, Third…" _

"_And I very clearly said Seventh. Are you at that age when you're beginning to suffer hearing loss?" _

"…_Gwen, is that…?" _

"_Yes, yes, he's very smart. Even, be nice to him. He's an old family friend. We wouldn't want to be ungracious to our guests." _

"_Seventh grade…? My…my daughter's smart too, but not…" _

"_Yes, he's been certified as a young genius. The government is very interested in him…he has a lot of potential." _

"_Well, that…that's wonderful! What do you think of that, Even?" _

"…_I think I'm being exploited by a self-serving institution in exchange for maintaining a superfluous and ridiculous public appearance towards aristocrats like you." _

"…"

"_It disgusts me." _

"_Even! Oh, God, there he goes again. You'll have to excuse him, he's also quite precocious as you might imagine." _

"…_." _

"_Now, would you care to try a bit of the wine I got from Chateau Dimant?" _

(-)

"Mmnf…"

It felt like his limbs were made of heavy lead weights. He tried to lift his arms and had to fight with them, as if they were submerged under twenty feet of water. Every part of his body felt stiff and creaky.

Vexen carefully flexed his fingers…wiggled his toes a little…shifted his wooden body upwards a hair…and opened his eyes. He was lying in a generic bed, but he could instantly tell that it wasn't his own. His bed was a bit lumpy on the left side and had a sharper, musty smell. This one smelled too fresh, like artificial disinfectant. And his own bed didn't have Xemnas standing next to it, holding a plastic bag and staring at him.

_What…happened?_ He vaguely wondered. The last thing he remembered was cleaning up his work area at six-thirty in the morning, just when he was about to finally pack up and go lie down.

_Damn it,_ he realized, _I must've fainted again. And I was really close, too._ He scowled at Xemnas, more disgusted with himself than with him. He knew what the bag was now, too. This was…what, the fourth time? He flexed his arms and carefully, with a bit of effort, pulled himself up into a sitting position.

"Did you retrieve the set?"

Xemnas nodded, turning to stow the bag away in a sterile box on a nightstand next to him. "Everything is accounted for. I thank you for the timely response."

Vexen's eyes followed his movements…and caught sight of something oddly bright and pink to the side.

"You have a little get-well gift," Xemnas added, nudging the pink splotch out further.

Vexen stared at it. A pink and purple bouquet...again sitting there, staring him in the face...

Suddenly, with a swiftness he didn't know he had, he lashed out and snatched it from the table, immediately freezing it in another block of ice. A terrible crackle of energy—hatred, he supposed—surged through his system, and suddenly, he was ready to leap out of bed and stab someone with a thick icicle.

_Marluxia_, he realized, furiously. _I must have been here last night. And he had to come…_

Quickly, he began checking all over his body, in the bed, on the floor, just to see what he had _done_. He had to have done something to him while he was unconscious, he just had to have. Vexen only grew more and more anxious when he couldn't find it. _I'll have to give myself a full medical examination when I get back to my lab_, he determined. _He may have done something that I can't see with my own eyes. _

Xemnas stood back and watched all this with mild interest. "So…I see Number Eleven has taken a liking to you, and you obviously don't react in the same way."

"A _liking_?" Vexen's head snapped back up from the side of the bed, where he'd been attempting to peer underneath. "He despises me more than anything in nonexistence. Sometimes I believe he lost his heart for the sole purpose of coming here and making my non-life miserable. I never did anything to him. Though he claims I _ignored_ him, and apparently, that's a capital crime."

Xemnas gestured to the block of frozen bouquet, which by now had slipped onto the floor. "Those flowers mean I'm sorry…and take care of yourself."

"Well, he obviously doesn't mean it, does he?" Vexen threw his covers off and yanked off his boots, sitting awkwardly on the bed and frantically fishing inside them. "_Where_, goddammit, where is it?"

Xemnas simply closed his little medical tin and spoke, gravely. "Well, since you obviously seem well enough to take care of the rest on your own, I'll leave you to your business now. And _don't forget, _in two weeks…"

"Yes, yes, I've got it written down—what the hell did he do?"

Xemnas left, finally, watching out of the corner of his eye as Vexen proceeded to strip off his coat and pat-test every inch of the lining. He really could be such a bundle of nerves sometimes. He believed every word of what he said, of course…but couldn't help making a special note… of how quickly he'd sprung back to life just at the sight of those flowers.

(-)

Just as Marluxia had expected, Vexen wasn't at the Fruitless Mess Hall the next morning. He wondered if he'd _ever _see him in the Fruitless Mess Hall without having to drag him through the doorway himself. Everyone was quiet today—resigned, subdued. Strange how they were all buzzing about Vexen the day before, but even though he still wasn't back today, no one was concerned about him. In fact, the only ones there besides Marluxia were Zexion, Lexaeus, and Xaldin. Everyone else had gotten up earlier, which was quite unusual.

But when it came time for their mission briefing, Saïx had a little announcement to make. "At least I have a bit of good news," he spoke, though his face was frowning down at his clipboard. "Vexen has fully recovered, and he will be joining us tomorrow."

Marluxia's eyes flickered back to watch the others' expressions. He had wondered what kind of dynamic Vexen had within the rest of the Organization. Well, he'd known Zexion and Lexaeus were sort-of friends with him…if you could call them friends. But he hadn't yet seen him among the others. Everyone had seemed really worried about him before, so…

"Oh, yay," Xigbar said, his voice heavy with sarcasm. "The creepy old man in the basement is back. What joy."

"That was quick," Xaldin commented. "Normally, he takes at least two days."

"And so the missions today will be divided according to proximity…"

And that was it. No one else said another word about Vexen all day.

Marluxia was on another boring routine mission in Twilight Town with Luxord, and so naturally, his mind wandered off to contemplate about tonight. He'd woken up, but would Vexen be well enough to be back in his lab? And if he was…what kind of attitude should he expect from him tonight? Marluxia just couldn't stop thinking about him—it was driving him insane. And lately, not even his mental chant of hatred was enough to keep his pointy face from haunting him.

For the first time in his non-life, he couldn't wait for nine o' clock…and for the rest of the day, it was like he couldn't think about or concentrate on anything else. He hated himself for it.

(-)

At last, nine o' clock finally rolled around…and this time, Marluxia was actually standing outside the basement laboratory door before the serum even began to take effect. _What the hell?_ He thought, goring a hole into its metal paneling with his stare. _My body is all…jerky and hot and uncomfortable. There's no reason it should be. I get to have some more fun tormenting Vexen tonight. I couldn't wait for this earlier. Why is it like my body doesn't want to comply all of a sudden? _

Marluxia brought one fist to his chest, squeezing it hard with determination. _This is completely ridiculous and irrational,_ _and I can't allow it to interfere with my wishes. If I'm having some kind of abnormal reaction, then I just need to control it and overcome it. Yes… _Marluxia prodded his mouth upwards into a slim smile, forcing his muscles, and also hopefully, his physical reactions, into an air of confidence. _I will get this under control…and I will have Vexen under my control soon enough as well… _

He reached forward for the door, expecting to find it locked…but oddly enough, it slid open easily under his hands, though there was no one on the other side. Marluxa stepped inside, wondering if there had been some kind of mistake…that Vexen really wasn't back yet. Or at least not back in his lab yet. Maybe he'd take a few more steps in to find Zexion cleaning up…or worse, Xemnas, rooting through Vexen's research. But then again, if Vexen _wasn't _here, he should be in pain by now.

But before Marluxia could wonder another second, the wall of ice froze in place behind him with a sudden _shnk_. Well, that settled it.

"Good evening, Vexen," he spoke, putting a teasing lilt into his voice. "Nice to see you again. I must thank you for that nice cold welcome."

"You deserved it."

Had his voice always been so…hard? Marluxia swept his gaze across the room, trying to pinpoint the location the voice had just come from. He'd have to keep up the banter until then.

"And what, pray tell, have I done to deserve such treatment? Am I not even worthy of being graced with your oh-so-delightful company?"

"You don't deserve to be in this Organization at all, Eleven."

Marluxia immediately picked up on it this time and made a beeline for the voice's location, as always picking his way through piles of scientific detritus. There seemed to be even more of it than before.

Finally, he found Vexen, sitting at a desk, behind another predictably tall stack of papers, his back to him. Marluxia thought he felt something in his chest—part of his lung, perhaps—clutch at the sight of that…_hair_ again.

"You're back?" It was a completely unnecessary question, but Marluxia suddenly felt that he needed to say something…just to fill in this uncomfortably tense silence. Suddenly, he was finding himself at a loss for words, and he couldn't stand it. He was supposed to be in control!

Vexen whirled around in his seat, shooting him the most baleful look he had ever seen…it was just short of a snarl. His face was less grey now, and a bit less lined…though it was still disturbingly thin.

"Yes." His voice was like a boulder trapped in a sheet of ice. "I'm back. Too bad for you."

"But I really-" Marluxia quickly cut himself off, realizing, with shock, that he'd just been about to say "I really wanted to see you". He _wanted _to say it…he wanted to tell him…that really, he was _glad _to see him back…but he just couldn't. Vexen seemed so…_cold_, and not in the usual sense. This was a new kind of cold—a cold so freezing that it was on fire. He could tell he was putting up a front like a brick wall, concealing that just under the surface, he was a seething cauldron of fury. _He's still really mad about the experiments._

"…wonder…" Marluxia picked up, crossing his arms and settling back into his easy confidence. "Was it really worth all that?"

"Worth all _what_?" Vexen replied, tightening his grip on the pencil still clutched in his right hand.

"All _that_," Marluxia gestured vaguely towards him. "Staying up all night and knocking yourself out all day just for one silly experiment. It seems completely and utterly foolish to me. Now you're another day behind, aren't you?"

"…" For a moment, Vexen's left eye twitched, his body shaking a little as he struggled to contain his powerfully churning nomotional urge. He took a deep breath and turned his back on Marluxia again. "Xemnas will excuse the missed day. He already has."

"But he's the one who was forcing you to complete it on time. If he would've just let you take a few extra days…"

"If my memory serves me correctly, Number Eleven, it was _you_ who ruined my work and made it necessary for me to forego my night's sleep in the first place!"

Suddenly, Vexen rose from the desk, the ends of his robe sagging and dropping down around his legs to the floor. Marluxia couldn't help noticing, uneasily, that the whole thing looked baggier on him than he remembered. "When was the last time you ate anything, anyway?" he asked, truly curious and a little concerned.

"Don't try to change the subject!" Vexen was confrontational now, revving up into full-on lecture mode. He was trying to let his contractions of rage spill over gradually…the safe way. "You know it was entirely your fault, and you're just trying to rub it in my face. You are a disturbance—not just to me but to the entire Organization. If you persist with this attitude of yours, there is no doubt we'll all suffer for it. Not only are you destructive and unmindful of others' safety, you _relish _your destruction…you take _pride_ in it! I cannot comprehend how such a creature could even have been allowed to step across the border to this world, much less slip by Saïx's senses and gain admittance into the Organizarion! If they knew what's good for them, they'd take a little more _time_ and do a little more _testing_ before just jumping the gun and grabbing any Nobody in sight…it's because of Xigbar, I know it is. Everything's just going downhill since..."

Marluxia decided he had better intervene, otherwise this could go on all night. "How am I 'rubbing it in your face'? I have nothing to do with your weak constitution. It happened because you were just too much of a coward to face Xemnas yourself and ask for an extension. You could have dropped the test tube racks yourself by accident."

Vexen's face was gradually coloring red again, a tiny vein pulsating on the side of his smooth forehead. He was losing it again. _Stay calm_, he tried to remind himself. _Yelling at him only makes it worse—he gets some sort of sick pleasure out of making me enraged._

"Then explain _this_!" he snapped, yanking a small bundle of flowers from a file drawer on the desk and shoving them in Marluxia's face.

"…_This_?" Marluxia was actually kind of surprised to find his face suddenly buried in his own bouquet from last night. He'd figured Vexen would've killed them or tossed them out by now. Though he did notice that there were tiny ice crystals sticking to the ends of their petals. He smirked, grabbing the flowers at the middle and holding them up to his mouth, seductively. "Just a little parting gift to let you know I'd been there. 'I'm sorry'...not that there's anything to apologize for…and 'take better care of yourself for God's sake, you're starting to look like Axel'. Except taller. And blonde. And old." _And with much more luscious hair._

"No, no, you _did_ something, I know you did! You only ever leave flowers when you think you've gotten the better of me."

"Oh, no, nothing this time. I prefer tormenting you while you're awake—it's much more amusing."

Vexen's fists shook at his sides…and he noticed them, disapprovingly. _I can't…let him_, he forced himself to think. _Flying off the handle…is exactly what he wants me to do. Just…just calm down. _It was easier said than done. Usually he could stop ranting at Demyx or yelling at Xigbar and be back down to ten degrees instantly…but Marluxia had a way of keeping him in the red, even when he didn't want to be.

Finally, Vexen managed to suck in a deep breath, and his hands relaxed…though there was still something boiling inside him, and he could feel it. Okay. Maybe…maybe…_maybe _he was just being paranoid. _Maybe_ Marluxia actually _hadn't _done anything…maybe he was just trying to mess with his head, and he was playing right into his hands. Zexion had always warned him about that. "_No_, Vexen, geez," he could hear the boy's annoyed voice in his head. "No one's going to _kill_ you just because you accidentally let some Heartless loose in the castle. If anything, they'll probably enjoy it and go on a Heartless hunt. You really need to watch that paranoia of yours…among other things."

_No_, he firmly decided. _I'm not going to let this happen. _He could practically feel Marluxia's electric-blue eyes staring at him as he visibly went through the motions of regaining his composure.

"Fine. Okay. Whatever. But believe me, if you _have _done anything, I _will _find out about it."

Vexen whirled back towards the desk, gathering up a file folder and a few spare Florence flasks. "I suppose we should begin tonight's activities. I can't afford to waste our two hours chastising you."

Marluxia squeezed the flowers a little, for reasons he couldn't understand. "Ooh, and just what sort of 'activities' will we be up to tonight?"

Vexen ignored the little joke, so determined he was to drown him out this time. He gestured backwards with one hand without even looking. "Have a seat on that chair over there and you will find out."

Marluxia scurried over to the chair, still holding the bouquet, and sat down, wondering just what Vexen had in store for him. Maybe another little examination? That had been fun. …But before he could come up with any other scenarios, he suddenly felt a terrible, acute stinging creeping over his lower half.

_What the…? _It couldn't be the serum—Vexen was right there! He frantically glanced down…to notice that his butt and his legs had been frozen to the chair. A brief moment of panic washed over him, before he fell back into his usual patterns of thought.

"_Oh_…" he drawled. "_Vex_-en…I didn't know you were into _bondage_."

"Not _that_ sort of bondage, you twat!" Vexen set his supplies back down and pressed on his temples, closing his eyes. _Composure…_ he reminded himself. It wasn't working. "As you can see, I can no longer allow you to run willy-nilly all over the lab. I had pegged you as someone a little more mature and intelligent enough to know better…but obviously, I was wrong. You shall not leave that spot until the time has passed."

A spark of indignation ignited with Marluxia's chest, replacing any vague excitement he'd been experiencing. "What? Come on, it was just a little prank. You're _really_ overreacting to all this. I expected you to still be sore about it, but…"

Vexen simply began to walk away, still clutching his forehead. It was a little easier when he couldn't see him, yes, but he could still _smell _him. The flowers, along with Marluxia himself, it seemed, gave off a densely sweet nectar smell, and it was seeping into his senses, clogging them with olfactory overload.

"You're just going to leave me here?" Marluxia exclaimed, finally throwing his own bouquet to the floor. "But I thought you wanted to use me as your assistant! I'm not doing any good just sitting here."

"You're not doing any _harm_ either."

"But…but what if I need to go pee?"

"Then you can do it in your pants!"

Vexen buried his face into his hands even further. This _really_ wasn't working. Seriously… "do it in your pants"? Since when did he say things like _that_?

"Okay," Marluxia's grating voice floated back. "But you're cleaning up the mess."

No response this time. Vexen determinedly focused all of his energy into staying calm, and thankfully, it worked this time. He continued making his way towards the back wall of the lab…and Marluxia's eyes followed him.

"Hey," he spoke up again, his voice just a tad less annoying. "Where are you going, anyway?"

"Back room," Vexen simply stated. "This is the only thing I regret missing a day for. They've missed a whole day of siphoning."

Marluxia froze…even more than he already was frozen. _The Replicas…_ he remembered. _Those creatures…things, people, whatever they are that he's growing back there. That's right, he has to…give them his own energy. _

Suddenly, his body was moving all on its own, struggling against its icy bindings, though it was useless to try to break free. "W-Wait! You can't-! You just woke up! And you look like you're going to hit the floor again any second! You can't siphon off your life force _now_!"

"I have to." Vexen turned back for a moment, though his face was unreadable. "They need my energy to survive."

"_You _need your energy to survive, too!" Marluxia reasoned, though in the back of his mind, he was again wondering why he was so worried. "Especially now…"

"Well, who _else_ is going to do it?" Vexen crossed his arms. The rage had lessened considerably, since Marluxia was acting so odd all of a sudden. "This is my burden and my burden alone. I was the one entrusted with this task, and I intend to see it through to its completion. Unless…_you'd_ like to be a little sacrifice along the way."

"Please!" Marluxia shouted, the words flying from his mouth before he even had a chance to think them. "I'll do it! You can use my life force for now! Go ahead—I should have plenty for you to take."

…_What? Why am I suddenly just willing to lay down my own life to help _him_? I don't want him to pass out again, but… I can't just let him take my life! _

Vexen's eyes widened. He lifted one fist to his chin. _He's just…letting me do that? He _wants_ me to use him for energy? I expected a loud protest…maybe some yelling, struggling to get away. Why would he…? _Vexen quickly shook his head, firmly turning back around. "No. I'm not going to start with you now. Wouldn't want to ruin that pretty, smooth face of yours."

Marluxia gaped…leaving him to disappear finally into the back room, closing the door behind him. He'd lost…Vexen had gotten away. But Marluxia was so shocked by that unusual statement that he couldn't even worry anymore. His tone of voice…it had been so even and smooth that he couldn't tell if that statement was supposed to be sarcastic or not.

_It had to be,_ he decided. _Why would he think my face is pretty? It is, of course, but he hates me, so he wouldn't…_

Marluxia internally shook himself for the umpteenth time that day. His thoughts had been straying away from him far too frequently lately. He had to focus now, in the silence…there were much more important things at hand.

_The problem is…I never wanted this to happen. _Marluxia clenched his teeth, disgusted with this whole situation…and with himself. _This isn't good. If he's gone so far as to imprison me completely…if he can no longer trust me at all. I wanted to mess with him a little, put him in his place…entertain myself. But I need to get him to trust me. If I'm ever going to get him to open up and tell me more about the secrets of the heart and its power, I need to get him to trust me. I hope I haven't ruined any chance of that forever…_

Unfortunately, this meant being _nice_ to him, and Marluxia wasn't exactly sure he could manage. It was like whenever he set eyes on Vexen, he just wanted to poke at him. Well, there was more than one way of being nice. Teasing was fine, as long as it didn't get too out of hand. But no more pranks. Sadly, no more destroying things.

A few minutes later, Vexen emerged again, swaying slightly as he walked. He pressed his hands into his desk when he approached, steadying himself again. Marluxia couldn't stand it.

"Don't you have _any_ sense in your head?" he spoke, his voice low. "Look at you—you're going to pass out again! I can't believe you actually did that. You're insane!"

A tiny smirk appeared on Vexen's face as he slowly calmed his wobbling legs. "That makes the seventy-fifth time someone has told me that. And yes, I've actually been counting."

"Well, I'll make it seventy-six—you're _insane_! You're mad! You're out of your mind!"

Vexen only chuckled, softly. "Why, thank you." He seemed to be in a somewhat better mood, despite being even weaker than before.

"Now," he asserted, carefully moving back into his desk chair and handing a considerably large stack of papers to Marluxia. "What you're going to be doing is shredding those papers for me. They're old and outdated and need to be disposed of. Since what you seem to be best at is destroying things, I should think you'd enjoy ripping up a bunch of papers. The trash barrel is right here." He nudged it back towards him with his foot. "All I ask is that you keep your mouth _shut_, and we should have a pleasant evening."

Marluxia glared down at them. _I've been demoted to a paper-shredding machine. Wonderful. _

And so, for the rest of the night, Marluxia only dutifully ripped up papers while Vexen leafed through various books at his desk and made notes and charts. The whole time, Marluxia tried to figure out some way of earning back Vexen's trust—well, whatever small amount of trust he'd had in him before. Was there something he could say…no, because he'd just think he was lying or being sarcastic. Was there something he could do…no, because he wouldn't _allow_ him to do anything for him.

Suddenly, while he was shuffling through the various old graphs and calculation sheets, Marluxia came across a paper that made him pause and study it a little more. It was a listing chart of some sort, with ten words written across the top, in columns: space, wind, ice, earth, illusion, moon, fire, water, and time.

_The element research…_ Marluxia realized. _He said he had tried researching if there was some kind of connection between our personalities and our elemental affinities, but that it was incomplete. _

Indeed, there were a few indiscernible scratches under each one-Vexen's own shorthand notes and numbers. He folded it up and stuck it inside his coat. He had no idea why Vexen had abandoned it, but it was worth something to _him_. If he had to, he'd form his own experiments and theories…because it was something he was genuinely curious about.

_Maybe…I should act interested in his work_, Marluxia thought. _He kind of liked it before when I was asking him about feelings and hearts. He's dying to share his information with somebody. _

One glance towards the clock revealed that it was getting close to eleven… Vexen was beginning to pack up some of his books, sticking tabs on certain pages and arranging them into piles.

"So…" Marluxia tried, the first word spoken in approximately an hour. "What has Xemnas got you working on now?"

"That's frankly none of your business. And I thought I told you to keep quiet."

_Rejected. _Vexen was certainly putting new meaning into the phrase "giving the cold shoulder". He gave it a few more minutes.

"…You know," Marluxia spoke again, softly. He just had to keep trying, any way he could, no matter how hopeless it seemed. "I really _am_ sorry. I know you don't believe me, but…I regret what I did the other day. I didn't know you'd be so…I didn't know it was so extremely important to you." _There, that sounds better._ "I never meant to hurt you."

Vexen sighed. The silence had given him a while to think and to stew over, and gradually, his anger had abated. It was finally gone now, giving him a chance to think clearly and rationally about all this. "Number Eleven…" he began, turning slightly in his chair. "I know you want something from me. You want to get something out of me, and that's the reason you're now trying to apologize. As Nobodies, we are incapable of things such as sympathy and guilt. You need me for something, and that's the only reason you fear for my life. I know, and I don't blame you for that. It's just the way we are. So I believe you."

Marluxia's eyes widened. Suddenly, Vexen was being…reasonable? Where had this come from?

Vexen stood again, gingerly, gliding forward to look down at him. "So you can stop this little song-and-dance now. I believe that with all that's happened today, you will keep your word and not destroy my work again."

And with that, he softly raised his gloved hands…and the ice encasing Marluxia's bottom blinked out of existence, as if it had never been there. Marluxia stared down at himself in surprise, letting the few papers left in his hands drop into his lap. Slowly, carefully, he moved his legs, stretching them and making sure they were still working properly. He stood up, dusting himself off and bending slightly, checking to see if he could walk.

Vexen rested his hands on his hips. "But try any more funny business, and you're going straight back to the Cold Seat."

"Yes, mommy." Marluxia grinned and shuffled his feet a little. It was good to be back. The little spark of excitement ran lightly down his spine once again.

Vexen gestured to the clock. "It's eleven. Get out of my sight."

"Will do." Marluxia nodded once and began to move towards the door. "I assume I can expect something a little more exciting tomorrow?"

"Perhaps." Vexen made a show of ignoring him, sitting down again and sticking his nose in a book.

Marluxia took another few steps towards the door. "...You better go to sleep tonight! You should go lay down soon."

"Yes, I'm planning on it—as soon as you get out of here."

"…And make sure you eat something! You look like a skeleton."

"Yes, yes. Cease your false concern, Eleven—it sickens me."

"You're welcome." Marluxia skipped out of the laboratory and back up the steps with a smile on his face…though for a different reason this time.

(-)

Whenever Marluxia was perplexed or just wanted to figure something out, he made a list. He had several lists and idea-clouds already of different ways he might rise in the Organization and be able to replace Xemnas as its Superior…plus a list of ideas and changes he would implement once he reached that level. They were all tucked away behind an innocent-looking clipboard in the drawer of his nightstand, and written in a code that only he would understand. However, the one he was making now was something entirely different.

"Unusual Responses to Vexen" was written across the top, with several bullet points following, including "wanting to help", "wanting to feel his hair", and "sacrificing self for his sake". Next to these points was a column with the word "why" written in capital letters. Marluxia was currently attempting to fill in this column, providing legitimate reasons for the way he was acting. At the moment, he was stuck.

Next to "wanting to feel his hair", he'd written "Lumaira liked blonde hair", then had crossed it out to write "Lumaira wished his hair wasn't so bright and bushy". Next to "wanting to help", he'd written "Lumaira was always trying to help people"…then had crossed it out to write "Lumaira wished he could have been more helpful". It was taking him a while to search through the memory banks of his Other…but for some things, he hadn't yet found anything that fit. The strategy of looking back to his past life to legitimate his current actions was failing. For instance, he could find absolutely nothing to justify "sacrificing self for his sake"…or a myriad of other symptoms, such as "wanting to see him more than anyone else in the Organization" and "can't stop thinking about him". Well…except for something else in the back of his memories…

Marluxia's hand shook a little over the piece of paper. "Lumaira was bisexual", he wrote, in no specific area. "Lumaira was once in love with another man." Again, nowhere specific. These memories kept resurfacing whenever he looked over the symptoms.

"Marluxia picks up on Lumaira's past actions", he wrote at the bottom, referring to himself in the third person for the sake of clarity. "Marluxia is substituting Vexen for Lumaira's lover." But Vexen looked and acted nothing like Lumaira's lover had. He hadn't even had blond hair.

_But if, say, he had been angry with someone, I could recall that memory, even if the person my body said I was angry with was nothing like the person he had been angry with. It's just an absent feeling…the ghost of a feeling. _

"Lumaira was annoyed by Fertaph" he wrote, calling up the name of some snobbish boy he'd grown up with. They he drew an equals sign, translating it into his actions as a Nobody. "Marluxia is annoyed by Xigbar." Yes, that was the same. All of his "annoyed" memories translated into his current reactions towards Xigbar.

Next, he wrote "Lumaira was attracted to Glenn." Glenn. That had been his name. A slightly chubby boy with bright eyes, fluffy light brown hair, and a dazzling smile. It just didn't translate. But then again, Fertaph had been a lanky kid with greasy blue hair and freckles.

Marluxia paused with his pencil so close to the paper, he could see its individual fibers woven together just under the tip. But finally, he just wrote it anyway… "Marluxia is attracted to Vexen."

And his eyes flickered through the list. The statements were suddenly falling perfectly together. Everything was clicking into place, one by one. Unable to stop thinking about him…willing to sacrifice himself for him…wanting to see him for no apparent reason...desperately wanting to touch some part of his body…

_It's…true. _

He'd known it. All along, he'd known it, yet now he couldn't ignore it or run away from it anymore. It was sitting in front of him in black and white, staring him in the face.

"_Marluxia is attracted to Vexen". _

_Oh, boy. _He stared into the paper, watching the sentence swim before his eyes. _Things are about to get even more interesting…_


	4. The Initiation Process

Holy frick, I did NOT notice how long this chapter was while I was writing it. It seemed pretty short to me.

I found out AFTER I had written this that the seat height is only an indication of how many missions that member has successfully completed (aside from Xemnas's of course), which makes sense, since I was confused that Saïx ISN'T second...he's actually like sixth or seventh. So Vexen's bottom place really only means that he never goes on missions...which we pretty much already knew. But my interpretation makes more sense for this story. Yes, I actually went and looked up seating charts and everything for this, and had a fangirl-spaz moment when I found out that Marluxia is diagonally right across from Vexen. Well, actually, if he was looking straight ahead, he'd be looking at the space between Xigbar and Vexen, but STILL.

I swear, Vexen is seriously hiding in that little corner of his. I entirely missed him the first time I played Days.

I'll leave the ending for a surprise, but...really...my first thought when I first laid eyes on that thing was "it's Marluxia and Vexen's baby!" I'm such a fangirl.

Yes, I know, it's "OMG re-growing hearts!"... but with actual explanation and work involved.

All I own is Glenn...who actually gets a few lines of dialogue in the chapter, ohmygosh. Oh, and Teacher, and Mr. Random Flashback Guy, who is currently nameless.

PLEASE READ: I need more reviews! Please? If you're reading this and haven't reviewed yet, please consider just dropping me a quick note to tell me you're reading it and enjoying it...or even if you aren't! I take constructive criticism too! I actually would really like some suggestions on what readers would like to see more or less of, especially since I'm getting to the middle chapters which aren't planned out in black and white yet. Reviews give me the motivation to work on this story more!

(-)

Chapter 4: The Initiation Process

_"But I don't understand!" The young pink-haired teenager tore at his baggy clothing with both hands. "Why is it so wrong? There is nothing wrong with us! There's nothing wrong with me! Why can't I live just like anyone else?" _

"_There is much you have yet to understand, Lumaira. You have grown up here…you've been sheltered here, made a living here, made a family, even. But to the rest of the world…they only see one thing. What is 'okay' within these walls would not be allowed on the streets of Borealis City. If they found you, they would take you away from us. You'd never see your friends again. What's worse, if they managed to follow you… Every one of us would be put to death. Is that what you want?" _

"_No! I just can't…" Tears were beginning to bubble up underneath the teen's eyes…frustration…confusion…a feeling that couldn't be so easily compartmentalized. "I don't want to stay here forever! I want to see the rest of this world! I want to see it _with_ everyone! With Lampry and Zephrine and…and Glenn. Why is that such a bad thing?" _

"_You're a fool." _

_The young man was silently crying now, leaving the tear bubbles to burst into thin little streams._

"_Haven't you ever felt guilty? Haven't you ever wanted to kill yourself?" _

"_Y-yes…a few times. I don't know why." _

"_Why do you think?" _

"_Because I wasn't doing a good enough job. They…didn't like me." _

"_No…because you're rotten. You're rotten and dirty and disgusting to the core, and you know it, somewhere inside. This is what you've been doing your entire life…you've grown up with it here, alongside your friends and peers. But you know it's wrong." _

"_Th-that's not what Teacher says!" _

"_Teacher is meant to teach that. It's what we pay her for. Lumaira, you cannot go outside into the city, disguised or not. Eventually, you would be recognized." _

_His hands were trembling…curled into fists over the dusty brown tabletop. "But I've seen them!" he cried-the end of his argument, his final trump card left to play. "The others! Like us, except…" _

"_Except they're women." _

"_They're allowed to go outside just because they're women?" _

"_Yes." _

"_That makes no sense!" _

"_To you, it may not, but to the rest of this world, it makes a great deal of sense. Lumaira…this is your place. You must no longer cross that line if you wish to continue to live here…if you wish to be able to speak with your friends and "family". This is the way of the world, Lumaira…this is just how things are. You must find your own way of dealing with them."_

(-)

_But this world doesn't exist. What are the rules governing a non-existent world? _Marluxia swirled the straw around in his glass of orange juice. He'd had another one of those memory-dreams—things he already knew about, of course, but parts and ideas that came to the fore and reminded him all of a sudden.

_Things were different in Borealis than in the rest of the world. It doesn't mean that because this world doesn't exist, there are no rules. But no one…it's just us. There are no women here. Does that mean it's…okay? For two males to be together, anyway… I mean, what else have we got? We'd have to get together with another male. It's a good thing Nobodies don't age, or our species would just die out. Well, except Vexen is going to die regardless. But it doesn't matter anyway, because we can't feel. Though if my body can still respond with "attraction" to someone else…? _

Marluxia was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even notice Xigbar sit next to him.

_What use is romance in this nonexistent world? Why should we even be able to be attracted to each other? It's just a leftover feeling-shell, like anything else. It means nothing. Then why isn't everyone running around hitting on each other at the same rate we do things like laugh at each other and piss each other off? _

"Wooow, that must be one fascinating glass of orange juice. Didja get a worm in it?"

Marluxia's head snapped up, towards the close sounds of Xigbar's voice. Did he have to just _appear_ out of nowhere like that all the time? "A _worm_?"

"Yeah, you know, they like to burrow into fruit. I've found 'em in apples before, but never oranges. Let me know if you do."

Marluxia found the most disgusted, confused, weirded-out expression in his entire arsenal and gave it to Xigbar just then. It kind of pulled at the edges of his eyes and hurt his lower lip.

"Nice," he replied, a sort of compliment. "Never seen a face like that before."

Marluxia sighed and turned away, quickly draining the last of his juice.

"Lot on your mind?" Xigbar asked. "There shouldn't be—all your tests are over now."

"I just…like to think a lot." Well, it was true.

Xigbar nodded, putting on an air of wisdom that Marluxia didn't particularly care for. "I noticed that about you. You love being off by yourself, thinking. But not in the creeper way—your thinking is the planner's kind. I know. It rocked your little world inside your head when you first realized you could think."

He also hated it when Xigbar talked about him like that…like he was his child or something. Like he knew more about him than he did himself…because he didn't.

"Ain't nothing for you to have your mind set on now, though…all your induction stuff is over with. You're a bona fide Organization member."

"Except for one thing," Marluxia reminded him. "I haven't seen Vexen yet today." The word 'today' just sort of slipped out, but Marluxia reassured himself that it didn't sound strange at all. It didn't suggest he'd seen him on other days…

"Oh, yeah." Xigbar scratched the back of his head, just next to his ponytail band. "Well, you'll meet him in the Grey Area in a little while. You just missed him this morning, actually. He left here only a few minutes before you came in." Xigbar had a bad habit of hanging around a place longer than he needed to, quietly spying on people…and leaping into their conversations at the most awkward of moments.

Marluxia internally breathed a sigh of relief. _Good. He got up and he came here. That must mean he ate something for breakfast. I mean, I hope he did. Why would he come here just to stare at the walls? _

Xigbar rolled his eyes and leaned back, preparing to take off again. "Really, don't waste your time. He ain't worth worrying about."

"I'm not _worrying_," Marluxia clarified. "Just thinking. Curiosity and all. I can't help it—it's in my nature. It's just what my body does."

"That's a lot of wasted energy." Xigbar patted him on the back, to his irritation, then just got up and walked away.

Marluxia kept his eyes focused on the orange juice, though he couldn't help catching a glance of Demyx and Axel across the room. He would have to pretend they didn't know each other…like he was really meeting him for the first time. Vexen would be able to play the part perfectly, but Marluxia had to force himself into a different mindset.

_What's going to happen now? _He wondered. _Now that I know I'm attracted to him… No, that's ridiculous. It's not like anything is going to be different. I'll just say greetings to him, all polite and distant like I usually do with everyone, and he'll nod or something, and then we'll go our separate ways. But…does this mean we'll never be able to associate with each other when anyone else is around? …Does that matter? …No. No, it doesn't. _

Despite whatever Xigbar might think, Marluxia had a _lot_ to think about. He continued in this haze as he brought his empty glass back to the counter, returned to his room to prepare for missions, and stepped down the hallway, down the stairs…until he finally reached the Grey Area.

It seemed unusually full…unusually bright. Every member of the Organization was there, sitting or standing in various locations, talking or not talking, moving or not moving. But even with all this life and movement, Marluxia couldn't stop his eyes from flickering over to one specific spot on the left wall.

Vexen was standing there, in a corner, arms crossed, just staring into the air, contemplatively. He didn't look at him. Of course. Marluxia shouldn't be looking at him himself…but he couldn't help it. It was just so…strange. Knowing Vexen like he did…it was weird seeing him in this place. He had belonged to a separate world altogether—that mysterious underground world. To find him suddenly injected into his own comparatively mundane, day-to-day life… He wasn't talking…he wasn't _doing_ anything in particular. It was almost like…he was trying to make himself scarce. Trying to pretend he was invisible. If you weren't looking for him, you wouldn't even know he was there at all.

"Oh, hey!" Xigbar slid over to Marluxia's side so deftly that he didn't even see him move….if he _had_ moved at all. "Introduction! Almost completely forgot. Not like it's hard. C'mon over here." He gripped him by the upper arm and started to drag him over to Vexen's corner.

Marluxia bit down on the inside of his cheek, reminding himself not to screw this up. Don't say anything. They didn't know each other. They'd never met. He really didn't care. "Oh, yeah," he spoke, testing his indifferent voice. "I noticed…"

And then, Xigbar finally released him, and they were standing in front of Vexen, on the receiving end of one of his cold glares. For a moment, Marluxia felt his physical-heart beating faster, under stress. He knew _he_ wouldn't say anything…but suddenly, it looked like _Vexen _was going to say something. Tell him what a complete moron he was being right now. He just knew that face too well to not notice the unsaid words floating behind it.

Xigbar gestured widely and mock-grandly. "Number Eleven, Number Four. Marluxia, meet the recluse—I mean, the Vexen."

Vexen's glare turned on Xigbar now, raising one brow slightly. "The Vexen?"

"Yeah, you know, like the lamp, the table, the wall…the Vexen."

Xigbar chuckled a little, and Vexen only tightened his glare on him, but didn't say anything back. Anyone else would've gotten a verbal lashing, but unfortunately, Xigbar out-ranked him, so Vexen wouldn't respond. Apparently, Xigbar was allowed to bad-mouth him and tease him as much as he wanted.

Marluxia couldn't help thinking how accurate that description was, though. Vexen really was more like a piece of furniture here…he had no place, he was just…_here_. A piece of decoration rather than a living being. _Is this…really his group dynamic? _

"So get on with it!" Xigbar gave Marluxia a sudden push on the back, and he stumbled forward, not expecting it. He was right in front of Vexen now.

"…Um, hi." Marluxia frowned. _That was weak. _He'd been too busy thinking about Xigbar's words to plan out what he was going to say…he'd thrust him into introductions so suddenly.

Vexen nodded, perfectly composed. "Good to finally meet you."

Marluxia hated that he'd gotten so tripped up and resented Vexen for his ease. He shifted a little and glanced away.

"I'll need to see you later to record your vital statistics. I usually do that with every new Organization member, for documentation purposes, but I regret that I hadn't been capable when you were first inducted."

Marluxia blinked. _Wait…what? Didn't he already do that? _Then, he realized. _He's acting like he really _is_ meeting me for the first time… Damn, he's good at this._

"Er…" Marluxia acted disturbed and worried, though he couldn't get any more words out.

Vexen slid one green pupil back to look at him, and he knew he must be snickering internally. "Just think of it as a simple medical checkup. Not to be concerned. You can come by for it around nine o' clock tonight."

_Clever_, Marluxia thought. _Now I don't have to worry about anyone seeing me coming down to the lab tonight. _He wished he was able to think that clearly right now.

"Yeah, Vexen's our science geek, if you haven't figured that out already," Xigbar clarified. "But we do need him for it. I mean, who else would we pick on?"

Vexen's glare was becoming dangerously icy, and Marluxia knew it had to be killing him to hold his tongue.

Xigbar chuckled and patted his shoulder. "No need to give me that look. I'm just messing with you, old pal."

Vexen's eyes said "touch me again and I freeze your fingers off."

"Uh…I think we should get going." Marluxia glanced over his shoulder, noticing Saïx checking his clipboard. He was really just hoping to get Xigbar away from Vexen before he finally pushed him too far. But at least the tone of his voice could be taken to mean was afraid of Vexen and wanted to get away from him himself.

"Heh, yeah." Xigbar finally agreed and strode forward, leading Marluxia behind him. "Just don't poke around him too much," he couldn't help calling over his shoulder to Vexen. "He's young. He might get ideas."

"…What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Vexen nearly spat with bitterness.

"Oh, nothing."

Marluxia could've sworn he heard growling as they moved away, back to a separate corner of the lounge. He chuckled, under his breath. It really had been entertaining, though…watching Vexen's reactions in a situation where he was forced to keep quiet. In fact, it was still just as entertaining watching him silently fuming in his corner while the rest of the Organization talked and laughed with each other…well, it was mostly Demyx doing the laughing, but still.

After another minute or so, Saïx called the room to order by shouting above the din in his warning voice. "Alright!" he barked. "Today is a special evaluation day, so I suggest you all pay close attention!"

_Evaluation day?_ Marluxia thought. _Can't I ever just get out on a regular mission without being tested on it somehow? _

Slowly, the noise died down into complete silence and anticipation. Saïx's eyes swept over them, something deep and uncomfortable behind them. "Things will be changing for us very soon. There is a meeting scheduled later today, and I'm sure the Superior will explain all of these changes to you then. But what this means for now is that we must re-evaluate all of you in preparation. I know some of you, Number Eleven in particular, have just had your first evaluation and really shouldn't have progressed much in your abilities since then. But our goal here is not to see how well each of you works individually, but how we work together as a team."

_How we work together as a team…? _Marluxia instantly imagined all of Organization XI running around Twilight Town, randomly annihilating any innocent passersby who happened to get in the way. But somehow, he didn't think that was what Saïx had in mind. _Really, though…we're incredibly powerful as a team_, he realized. _We could easily take over that whole town, even with just ten of us. We could have any world we wanted. Sure, one or two worlds would be the extent of it, since it would get difficult to hold our dominion together if it was any larger. …But if I was in charge, we'd be out _conquering_ things instead of just sitting here on our rear ends and playing around with small-fry Heartless. We'd actually be _getting _somewhere. It probably wouldn't help us get hearts of our own,_ _but at least it would put us in a much better position than we are now. _

Marluxia finally forced himself to listen again when Saïx straightened into a "business" stance, preparing to give the final instructions. He didn't want to be caught spacing out again, that was for sure.

"I have chosen to divide you into partnered groups according to elemental compatibility. This should help us determine which of you work best together. By pairing the elements that work best with each other, we should be able to bring out each of your full potentials."

Marluxia glanced over, running through everyone else's elements and trying to think of what went with flowers.

He stopped to stare at Demyx, who suddenly had a very strange expression of utter dread on his face—his eyes wide, the color beginning to drain from his face. "Uh…question?" he asked, timidly lifting his arm halfway.

Saïx turned annoyed yellow eyes to him. "Yes, what is it?"

"Does that include…_all _of us?"

Saïx glared deeper. "Aside from the Superior and myself, yes, Number Nine, that includes all of us."

Demyx's face went even paler, and his mouth even dropped open a tiny bit. "…Oh, you have got to be_ kidding_ me!" he cried, throwing his arms up in utter hopelessness. "I'm _not_…with _him_…!"

Saïx steadied his glare back at him, and Marluxia could've sworn he saw Xigbar stifling laughter in the background.

"Come_ on_!" Demyx begged. "Please! _Anyone_ but him! He's like…Zexion times _twenty_!"

Xigbar was really struggling to keep from bursting into laughter now, and even Axel was hiding an amused smile behind a fist.

"It's no use complaining about it," Saïx firmly told him. "It has already been decided, and there is no changing my mind." He flipped a page of his clipboard, determinedly…and pronounced his sentence. "Demyx and Vexen."

Demyx groaned, torturously, and Vexen only crossed his arms tighter and frowned so deeply that his face was beginning to resemble a bulldog's.

Marluxia joined in the snickering. _Oh, dear. _That_ is certainly a disaster waiting to happen._ They probably wouldn't get _anything_ done. Demyx would just slack off, and Vexen would just bitch at him for hours. He could already tell he had a good two-hour talking-to building up inside him, just waiting to tumble out.

"…Xigbar and Luxord," Saïx continued.

"Ah ha, space-time, I get it." Xigbar came to stand beside Luxord, who only gave him a courteous nod.

"Lexaeus and Marluxia."

_Oh, yeah_, Marluxia realized. _Earth. Of course. I didn't think of that. _He looked up into Lexaeus's stoic face a few yards away. This was going to be interesting. _Hmm…at least this way, I might be able to recruit his help for my garden project. That is, if I can get him to say anything at all. _He'd completely forgotten about Lexaeus, which was fairly easy to do.

"Axel and Xaldin."

Axel lifted a short, stubby, red eyebrow. "Huh? How does that make any sense? Wind _puts out_ fire."

"Only a small fire," Xaldin mused. "In other cases, wind can fan the flame, causing it to grow even more powerful and devastating."

Saïx nodded, confirming that that was just the sort of logic he'd used in putting them together. "And, Zexion…you can just go with Xigbar and Luxord. You don't really go with anyone, but they would probably be the closest."

"Actually, the Superior's power would be closest to mine," Zexion simply stated. "He controls nothing, and I control nothing to make it _seem_ like something."

The room suddenly went deathly quiet. Was he…seriously _comparing himself_ to Xemnas? _Well, I do that all the time_, Marluxia thought. _Just not out loud. _

Saïx seemed to take a hidden offense to that statement as well. "…Xigbar and Luxord," he repeated, his face even more firm and insistent.

Zexion turned away, unperturbed, and joined his group.

"Now, then…"

_Ah, darn it, _Marluxia realized. _We're probably going to get assigned to a bunch of different worlds, because they just don't want any more than two Organization members in any one area at a time. I can tell Saïx is really pushing it with three at a time. That means I won't get to see Vexen in combat. And I don't know if there's even going to be another chance—he never goes on missions. _Well, that just meant he was going to have to be a little more creative and sneaky about getting him to summon his weapon.

Marluxia and Lexaeus were going to Halloween Town. Whoop-de-do. At least he'd get to visit somewhere new. Meanwhile, Axel and Xaldin were going to a coliseum somewhere, Vexen and Demyx were going to Twilight Town, and the trio was going to Agrabah. Marluxia couldn't help watching, amusedly, as Vexen pushed Demyx through their portal like a pestered mother, criticizing him on his lack of initiative.

Strangely enough, he just couldn't wait until tonight…until all of this was over. He was dying to say something to him…ask him about it, tease him about it, anything. He just…had to see Vexen again…as soon as possible.

(-)

That afternoon, Marluxia returned from Halloween Town holding a sack full of supposedly infinite soil and grinning. It had taken all of four hours to get Lexaeus to agree to give it to him, but it had definitely been worth it. He'd tried phasing it as an opportunity to test their elemental compatibility, being curious about the practical applications of the earth element, and explaining how it wasn't fair that he didn't have a space of his own. Finally, Marluxia had had to pull the old "I'm new, be nice to me" card…but at least it had worked. Lexaeus was actually quite smart and perceptive, he'd found. Maybe a little too perceptive… He and Zexion…he'd have to keep an eye on them in the future.

Unfortunately, by the time he got back, Vexen and Demyx had already returned and had left to prepare for the meeting in a few more minutes. Vexen must have _really _pushed the poor lethargic sitar-player. The "intangible" group, as he liked to call them, was sitting around blabbing as usual, and Lexaeus was heading over to stand by them. They were just waiting on Axel and Xaldin now. They arrived just ten minutes before the deadline—with a noticeable tenseness in Xaldin's physique—and Marluxia had just enough time to run up to his room and deposit his soil bag before it was time for the meeting.

He quickly checked his map to find the round room marked "Where Nothing Gathers"…a very fitting, but also a very corny name, in his opinion. He just hoped this whole thing would be over with soon, so he could come back and test the soil…maybe go to the lab a little early. Wouldn't that completely shock Vexen? Though…then he'd have to explain why he was early. He could just say he'd wanted to get the "examination" over with…or have it appear that way. Something would come to him…it always did.

Marluxua stepped towards the door to the meeting room, and it only occurred to him then that he hadn't seen the interior of this room before. Vaguely, he recalled Demyx trying to pry it open, then getting tired and just giving up. "It probably has some kind of special seal on it, since a meeting hasn't been called," he'd explained. "Guess it'll just have to be a surprise!"

And a surprise it was. Marluxia stepped into an enormous room bathed in the same white-gray blankness…empty except for the round gray Nobody-symbol circle on the floor and the chairs and pillars around it. The ceiling was extremely high…and suddenly, Marluxia realized why this room was located on the ground floor. It had to go up at least four stories.

He leaned his head all the way back, just trying to get a look at it all, his mouth dropping open slightly…and that's when he noticed, with another tug of amazement, that the "pillars" he'd seen before weren't actually pillars at all. They were chairs. He couldn't tell who was sitting in the two closest to him, but he could already see the tiny gray splotch of Xemnas in the tallest one, looming above the others. His eyes widened. _This is…this is crazy! What if someone falls off? …Xigbar would just say "haha, that's no problem, I can teleport", but what if you forget to teleport? Isn't anyone here afraid of heights? I'm not, but, you know, someone else might be. _He wouldn't admit it, but he was starting to feel a bit dizzy from staring up at that height for so long.

"Number Eleven…"

Marluxia quickly looked back down, to find Saïx standing in front of him.

"Impressive, yes, I know. But if you could please take your seat…" He gestured back to a chair on the ground level, almost directly in front of him to the right.

"Oh…yes. Thank you." Marluxia made his way to the chair, glancing across at the other empty, grounded chairs.

And as soon as he sat back into his chair, it began to rise, like some kind of theme park attraction. _This is really dangerous_, he couldn't help thinking as he watched the gray circle on the ground growing smaller and smaller. At last, his chair stopped, and he sat up a little to glance around. He could see the others much better now, of course, and he noticed that the two he hadn't been able to see before were Luxord and Axel…whose chairs were both higher up than his.

…_What does that mean? _Marluxia wondered. _Am I the lowest, because I'm new? Or…_ He glanced to the right side of his chair, looking down, which made him a little dizzy again. The blue splotch of Saïx was getting in another chair…and suddenly, it rocketed upward. Marluxia watched as Saïx whizzed past him, up, up…past Axel even…stopping just below the Superior.

Marluxia's physical-heart skipped a beat with shock. _"You'll find out soon enough…" Is this…does this…indicate our internal ranking? _He immediately scowled. _They count _Luxord _as better than me? How can…? _

Marluxia crossed his arms, watching disgustedly as more members arrived, chairs pinging up into place. Xigbar went all the way up, just underneath Axel…and Xaldin followed, just under Luxord. Marluxia glared over towards Axel's high seat to his left. What made _him_ worth so much anyway? He was number three! Fortunately, the fire-wielder wasn't looking in his direction at the moment, and even if he had been, Marluxia would have been too far away for him to see his expression clearly.

"Hey, Marly! You're up there, huh?"

Marluxia jolted out of his hatred-trance when a light voice called out to him from the right. Peering down, he saw Demyx in the seat next to him, below him, giving him a friendly wave. _Well, thank God I'm higher up than _him.

"I figured you'd be next to me!" Demyx called. "You're part of the odd-number side, after all!"

"Yeah," Marluxia simply replied, and when he looked past Demyx, he noticed Lexaeus between him and Xaldin, on a slightly higher level. _Ha, I'm higher than Lexaeus too. _

"Yeah! I got a great space now!" Demyx continued with his overly-enthusiastic banter. "Say, were you surprised?"

Marluxia had turned away at this point and just pretended that he couldn't hear him. His mind was too busy checking seat levels and adding up ranking points. _I'm number seven_, he realized. _Right after Xaldin. Not horrible…but not good. Not good at all. I should be at least number five. …Wait…where's...?_ Marluxia sat up a little higher in his chair, risking tumbling forwards…but he had to try to see.

"Welcome." Xemnas's voice rumbled forth, bouncing off the walls and adding to its chilling effect. "Now that we have all arrived, I would like to begin with a short greeting to our newest member, Marluxia, who is joining us in gathering for the first time today."

Marluxia was too busy squinting and trying to make something out to even notice that he was being acknowledged.

"Today marks a very special point in our development as an Organization and a pivotal step towards our ultimate goals…"

_It _is_…_ Marluxia couldn't breathe for a second, and it wasn't because of the high altitude. He'd found Vexen. Or, at least, the top of Vexen's head. He was right across from him…only so low that he could scarcely be seen. Vexen's seat was only slightly elevated, perhaps only one story high…placing him at number eleven.

Something inside of Marluxia went cold. He should find this ironic. He should be laughing now…literally looking down on him. But instead, a different and unexplainable reaction was occurring within his body.

Vexen was sitting hunched over, his body curled on the edge of his seat…once again trying to hide himself…trying to pretend he wasn't there, wanting to disappear.

Marluxia ripped his eyes away from the sight, at last, to glance back up at Xemnas, who was still going on about new eras and changes and efforts. His hands were slowly starting to shake…the edges of his vision blurring. Gradually, Xemnas was turning into a hazy black dot, flickering violently.

…_Liar._ Marluxia knew he was losing control of himself…that he could be in serious trouble if anyone happened to look at him and put two and two together. But he didn't care at all right now. He just couldn't. He deserved it. _Everything he was saying…about Vexen being a valuable member of the Organization…how important he was and how he cared about him…lies. He doesn't value him at all. Out of everyone…_everyone _else, he values him the _least_. _

Vexen knew this. He had to know this. He had to have been living with this knowledge for quite a while now…why hadn't he _done_ anything about it?

"Our current resources indicate that everything is moving forward as planned…and that certain new strides are being made in the areas of Nobody research and development. I have called you together today as a reminder…that each one of you must work to the very best of his abilities, especially after today. The arrival of a Keybearer draws ever closer, and…"

_You're an idiot. _Marluxia drowned out every word, turning his baleful eyes to the Superior, disguising it as a concentrating stare. He watched the dark-skinned, silver-haired man gesturing softly while he spoke, and no words came out. The words didn't matter. _We're being led by a liar…a selfish bastard and a tyrant. I will never listen to a single word he says again._

(-)

_Eh, two minutes. I can deal with that. _Marluxia arrived outside the sliding lab doors at exactly 8:58 and promptly rapped at the thick metal with one fist. Apparently, Vexen hadn't thought to unlock them yet.

After that abominable meeting, he'd returned to his room in a huff to fetch his new soil bag, suddenly more determined than ever to claim a part of this castle as his own. A nice, soft, thick coating of soil was now spread across his garden-room's floor like a particularly plush brown carpet. He'd had just enough time to materialize and plant some seeds in strategic arrangements across the expanse, before he'd decided he couldn't wait any longer and headed down to the basement.

Anticipation was burning under his skin…there were so many things he wanted to confront Vexen about now…his behavior, his low internal rank, how the mission with Demyx had gone…his own attraction. Part of him didn't want to tell him, out of pride. He couldn't have him thinking _he_ had any kind of power over him. But the other part really wanted to tell him, just to see what his reaction would be. Besides, Vexen apparently knew quite a bit about these "nomotions"…perhaps he could explain it better…perhaps it wasn't really attraction at all.

Before he'd made up his mind, the familiar blonde came to the door, sliding it open with his predictably annoyed expression. "You're a little early," he commented as Marluxia followed him inside. "Finally decided to stop holding out until the last second?"

Marluxia shrugged. "I was bored. There was nothing left to do after the meeting was over." He'd already kicked open the door for discussion on the meeting…but Vexen was entirely unperturbed. He simply picked up a couple of papers and handed one of them to Marluxia. "What's this?" he spoke, holding it up to his face. "You're giving me homework now?"

"You _asked_ for something a little more hands-on." Vexen swiftly turned his back, retreating to one of his file cabinets and proceeding to pull out trays of supplies. "Well, you're going to get it. You'll be assisting me with a new project today. And _remember_ what I said before about funny business…!"

"Yes, yes, you're going to freeze my ass to a chair again if I disobey. I remember that all too well."

Vexen nodded curtly. "Good."

Marluxia quickly scanned the sheet. It looked like some kind of chart with spaces left blank, apparently for him to fill in…strange unknown measurement units and times connected by blank white boxes. _I sure hope he explains all of this…_ But the project could wait for right now. He had to find out.

"You know…" he spoke up, attempting to break the proverbial ice. "You handled that little encounter today quite well."

"Of course." Vexen was busy shuffling through his supplies and didn't look at him. He quickly grabbed an extra pair of latex gloves and tossed them over his shoulder to Marluxia. "And I couldn't help noticing how much you were _struggling_ with such a simple matter."

Marluxia crossed his arms. "Well, _I _couldn't help noticing how little you partook in the group gathering. Why, it was almost like you—holycrap!"

Vexen cocked an eyebrow at him from behind a pair of protective goggles. "Like I what?"

But Marluxia couldn't even begin to respond. His mouth gaped open like a suffocating fish, utterly stunned, and again, a small piece of his brain scolded him for it.

Vexen tapped his foot impatiently. "Are you going to finish that sentence, or has your brain simply ceased to function? If you were _that _confused by the sheet I gave you, your poor little inferior mind is going to be a pile of pink mush by the end of today."

"Ah…" Marluxia finally got ahold of the motor skills in his mouth and attempted to form them into a word. "…P…P-Po…_ponytail_…"

Vexen lowered his gaze and his expression became both impatient and annoyed at the same time. "_Yes_, Number Eleven," he drawled, as if he was speaking to a very small child. "You will have to put your hair in a ponytail like mine. It's safer that way. It's a _requirement_. _You must do it_."

"Th-that's not-" Marluxia only caught himself just in time, before he accidentally said anything more than he was willing to say at this point. "I meant…it just surprised me. I've never seen you with your hair up."

Now, confusion was joining the annoyance and impatience, making for a rather interesting mishmash of expression on Vexen's face…he really did make the most wonderfully bizarre faces. "I don't see what difference _that_ would make, but we cannot waste any more time on your nonsensical stray nomotions."

Vexen turned away, the new little ponytail on the back of his head swishing slightly, and Marluxia felt another disturbing "attraction" tug in his lungs. _I can't stand this_, he growled, biting his tongue against the urge to run up and flick it. He had to hurry up and get his lab gear on or Vexen was going to turn around and lecture him to his face…and for now, he'd prefer it if he could just stare at the back of his head for the next two hours.

Reluctantly, he pulled on the gloves and hair band, grabbed his "homework" paper and followed him to the back of the lab. Fortunately, though, Vexen only had one pair of goggles.

Before Marluxia could ask what the hell they were doing, Vexen swung open the barred door on one creature-cage against the back wall…and to Marluxia's surprise, pulled out a flower-Heartless, holding it disgustedly by the head. Its little body swung back and forth in his grasp, struggling to get away.

"Actually, I think you might enjoy this." There was a bitter resentment underlining Vexen's voice. "Saïx wishes me to alter the chemical composition of this particular Heartless and create alternate breeds. Personally, I don't understand what use they could _possibly _be, but orders are orders. _You_ at least might find some value in it." Vexen coldly tossed the Heartless onto a small examination table, and it smacked onto the surface, emitting a tiny squeal of pain.

Marluxia cringed. "Those…those are mine," he spoke, almost under his breath.

Vexen heard, naturally. "Of course they're yours. Flower element, flower Heartless…"

Marluxia shook his head. "No, I mean…I caught them. There's three of them, right? Saïx had me capture them from Agrabah as my first solo mission. He told me they'd want to make variations of it…but…I never knew _you'd _be the one to…"

Vexen crossed his arms. "Well, who _else_ has the equipment, not to mention the know-how, to do so?"

"I…dunno. I figured Saïx and Xemnas were going to do it."

Vexen snorted. "They've got more _important_ things to be doing."

Marluxia opened his mouth to make a well-timed anti-Xemnas statement, but before he could, Vexen shoved the second flower Heartless into his arms.

"Just hold that for now—I'll let you know when I need it."

The Heartless promptly chomped down on his finger. "Hey, ow!" It wasn't too bad, since the Heartless had no teeth—just pointy gums—but it still hurt. "You're just leaving _me_ to deal with it because _you _don't want to get bitten?"

"You're a flower-manipulator—I'm sure you can subdue it on your own." Vexen swiftly administered a sedative to the one on the table and made a thin slice over its emblem mark.

Marluxia stroked the top of his Heartless's head, gradually lulling it into a relaxed, sleepy state…while he watched Vexen split open the first one, poking around its insides with slim silver instruments. "…You didn't tell me you were going to _dissect _it," he spoke after a few moments.

"I'm not dissecting it!" Vexen snapped. "I am searching through its inner material in search of its power receptacle. Consider it an operation—a modification to its exceedingly simple brain."

"Still sounds like dissection to me."

Vexen turned back to concentrate on his work with a little "hrmph". "I wouldn't expect _you_ to understand. There is much we have yet to uncover about the way our own generated Heartless work. Just because we created them doesn't necessarily mean we know all about them. For instance, I have yet to discover the location where their captured hearts reside within their bodies. You would think by simply cutting them open, you would be able to see them, but as Nobodies, they are inaccessible to us. Only by cutting them open with a Keyblade would one be able to…"

Marluxia tuned out the rest of Vexen's ramblings and started scratching his Heartless under its petals. It made a soft purring noise and cocked its head a little.

He just let him blabber on about hearts and science for another five minutes before he suddenly held out his hands, the first flower still lying open on the table behind him. "I'll require the second one now."

A pause. Marluxia didn't move a muscle.

Vexen rolled his eyes, which looked even stranger behind the reflective panels of his goggles. "Now don't tell me you've grown _fond_ of it, come on."

"But…I did go through a lot of trouble to catch these. They were part of my first solo mission, so…"

Vexen sighed with exasperation. "I'm not planning on killing this one. It's fine. Give it here."

Marluxia finally sucked in his breath and handed over the flower Heartless, as much as it struggled and gnashed its gums, though he couldn't help glancing with trepidation at its unconscious partner.

"Now, see those wires on the right? Bring those over here too."

Vexen continued with the procedure, sticking the wires into precise positions in the second flower's body, even as it squealed a little with pain. Finally, after a while, it began to shudder, unnaturally, as if having a seizure. It gave a cry, and quickly, Vexen threw off his gloves and laid his hands on it. There was a small burst of light-blue glow around its outline, then it slowly faded away and went silent again. He removed the wires and tossed it unfeelingly into a small cage.

"What…did you just do?" Marluxia asked, for once, actually curious.

"Made it take in a bit of extra power. Hopefully, it will merge with its composition over time and produce a new Heartless breed. Now what I need you to do is take that sheet I gave you and record its initial measurements. You may need to do a few things with it—immerse it in water, hang it upside down, shock it a little. Do what you need to. I need to finish with this one."

_But _how _am I supposed to…?_ Marluxia picked up the sheet again, looking it over, and turned it around…to notice that Vexen had typed instructions onto the back. _…Oh. Of course. _His mind had been way too clouded to even think of that.

Even Vexen had begun to notice that Marluxia was acting differently today. Something was off… Aside from his typical little quips at the beginning, Marluxia hadn't really been trying to get on his nerves. Vexen was thankful for that, of course, very thankful, but it was still…strange. He was being uncharacteristically obedient too.

_Pff_, he mentally spat as he gently prodded the Heartless's tiny, squishy brain with a thin needle. _He's probably just trying to get me to trust him. Of course, that's what he's doing. He wants me to start to feel comfortable with him again, so he can spring something _else_ on me. Figures he'll play the nice boy for now, and then… _

"Hey…" Now was the time. Now, when they weren't looking at each other. When they were both busy with their own separate tasks. Marluxia stroked his Heartless a little and gently stuck a thermometer in its mouth. "Why do you…_hide _yourself like you were doing today?"

"_Hide_ myself?" Vexen moved a piece of brain tissue a half-centimeter to the right. "I don't _hide myself_. What in this nonexistent planet gave you that idea?"

"You weren't talking to anyone or sitting with anyone." Marluxia yanked the thermometer out and wrote down its temperature in one of his paper's columns. "In the Grey Area, I mean. You were just kind of standing there in the corner."

"There was no one there worth talking to." Vexen carefully extracted his instruments and wiped them off with a sanitizing cloth.

"But what about Zexion? I thought you said you were friends with him…and Lexaeus too." Marluxia took out a tiny measuring tape and held it to one of his Heartless's base leaves.

Vexen gave a short, mirthless laugh. "Friends? Friendship doesn't exist for us. Without feelings, we cannot feel the connections of friendship. Although we may prefer some people to others, any connections we attempt to forge with them are meaningless. It is true that Zexion, Lexaeus, and I were connected in our previous lives, but that does not mean we are 'friends'."

"But…they would have been concerned about you. You said so yourself. If they knew about the siphoning process, they'd protest it. Zexion cared enough about you to come check on you and find you when you'd passed out."

The room went terribly silent, aside from the soft squishy flesh noises of Vexen stitching up the incision. _Am I getting too personal? _Marluxia wondered. _Not that I really care. I have to find out. _

"Why are you asking me all of this, Eleven?"

"I'm curious. Today was the first day I'd seen you out…with the others. It just…surprised me."

Vexen finished his stitching and whispered "_cura_". The Heartless's wound melted back together as if it had never been there…and suddenly it sprang back to life, snapping at his fingers with renewed vigor. Vexen quickly pinched it behind the head, throwing it back into the cage it came from. "…I don't like to disturb them. Most of the time…they don't want me around, getting in the way."

_Getting in the way…_ Marluxia's eyes widened, so slightly that you couldn't even tell behind his bangs. _Is that what they've said? Or is that just what he thinks?_

"Well…I guess I can understand it now." Marluxia averted his eyes, unable to look into the harsh glare of Vexen's narrowed green ones any longer. "You're the lowest-ranked member in the entire Organization."

Those eyes suddenly flashed even brighter. "_No_, Number _Eleven_. I don't know if you've forgotten how to count, but that distinction belongs to _you_. If you're attempting to rile me up now with some ridiculous accusation, I can assure you that…"

"I saw it today. At the meeting." At first, Marluxia couldn't believe the words that were coming out of his mouth…and the soft tone with which they were rolling off his tongue. Stating this…this taboo, this secret he'd discovered for himself…it would probably only make Vexen hate him even more. He would probably place more restrictions on him, to make sure no one else ever found out. He'd deny it. He'd scream and yell and freeze him to a chair again. But he couldn't stop them now. His flower-Heartless sat forgotten on the counter, snapping and pathetically spitting up seedy lumps. Vexen froze, and his skeletal face grew even paler.

Marluxia forced himself to keep his gaze on him. "…The chairs. Saïx let slip that each of us has a secret internal rank…and it's the chair height, isn't it? I noticed, from the way members like Xigbar and Xaldin are higher up, while Demyx is lower…and yours…yours is the lowest."

There was a painful silence again, punctuated only by the vain struggling of the flower Heartless. Vexen's pale face turned bright red…then vaguely purple…then back to pallid parchment-color. His right eye and the corners of his mouth twitched, though the rest of his face remained static. Finally, after a moment of silence almost too intense to bear, Vexen whirled back around to his table, and Marluxia was instantly relieved at the sight of that oh-so-appealing little blond ponytail.

"…You're…a lot more perceptive than I give you credit for."

_Of course I am_, Marluxia thought. _What did you take me for, a complete ignoramus? _In other times, he would have said it out loud. He wanted to say it out loud. But somehow, this time, he couldn't. His breath just wouldn't reach his throat, his tongue wouldn't form the syllables. His body told him not to interrupt now. Something about Vexen was changing.

_Pnnk!_ He slammed one fist over the table, body slightly trembling. "It does _not_ mean I'm weak or unhelpful. It is Xemnas's decision…and I respect that. Logically, it does follow suit. Out of everyone else in the Organization, I am the only one aging…I am the only one deteriorating. Eventually, I will be gone, and the rest of you will live on. Once my functions have been fulfilled, I no longer matter." He clenched his fist tighter, and the latex squelched against itself. "But until that time, _I _am the one who matters _most_!"

"So why do you put up with it?" Marluxia was honestly curious. It didn't make any sense to him. "If you're so important now, why do you let Xemnas rank you so low? Why do you let Xigbar and the others push you around? …I certainly wouldn't."

"There are ties…pacts and agreements between us of the original six that you will never understand, Number Eleven. While I may not like or agree with the lot I have been cast, it is mine. It is my place, and I intend to stay within it. My duties are mine and mine alone…and that is what makes them special."

Marluxia couldn't understand that logic at all…possibly because he'd come from a very different background. But he'd have to be satisfied with it for now. Vexen was pulling out the third Heartless, putting an end on the conversation.

"But down here, you are most certainly my subordinate! What are you doing just standing there? Finish your measurements!"

Marluxia sighed and turned back to the retching flower Heartless, swiftly grabbing it by the petals and getting it under control again. Oh well. He'd gotten a lot out of him…a lot more than he'd expected, actually. For a moment, Vexen had opened up…like when he'd told him about the siphoning process. He wanted to talk about these things…these secret, unspoken things nipping away at him. And finally…Marluxia was molding himself into someone he _could _tell them to.

It was strange, he thought, as he finished up filling out his sheet and Vexen operated on the third Heartless in the background. They couldn't stand each other…but as the days went on, it seemed like they could almost _trust_ each other.

"Well…that wasn't so bad." The two hours were up, the work on the Heartless was finished, and Vexen stood upright, wiping his brow a little and removing his goggles. "I'll congratulate you on your compliance today, though it took plenty of threatening to get it out of you. You'd make a halfway-competent researcher if not for that attitude of yours."

Marluxia smirked. "I have mighty powers of observation."

Then he watched, torturously, as Vexen pulled his hair out of its ponytail. "Can I-" He had to stop himself before "Can I brush that for you?" automatically slipped out.

"Yes, you can leave now. I have private research to attend to anyway. Begone."

Marluxia paused. Part of that sentence had suddenly captured his attention. He quickly threw off his own lab gear and stepped a little closer. "Private research? You mean the Replica Project?"

"No, not exactly." Vexen wasn't even sure himself what was going on. Why was he suddenly willing to tell this neophyte everything? Well, he supposed, he already knew about the Replica Project, and he was already bound to him, so what more could it hurt? His calmer demeanor was still most likely due to some trickery…but at least it was easier to live with.

He sat down at one of his big computer-like machines and began to type a command into it. "If you must know, I am conducting further research on the heart. The others may have given up on it, but I find some merit in extending its scope. It's exceedingly complex, so if you don't mind…"

As always, Marluxia completely ignored his request, striding up to Vexen's side and glancing down at the screen over his shoulder. "What do those lists of numbers mean?"

Vexen shot him a sideways glare. "You wouldn't understand even if I _began _to explain to you. It's past eleven o' clock, why aren't you bolting out of here?"

"I want to know." Marluxia leaned down a little closer. "I'm very interested in the secrets of the heart as well. Why shouldn't I be? I want a heart of my own someday. It's one of the only things as a Nobody that I truly, deeply want. If whatever you're doing can help that come about…I want to know. I want to help it."

Vexen blinked, incredulously. "I want to help"…he'd never thought, in his entire life, that he'd hear Marluxia say _that_. _This is probably just part of his strategy_, he thought. _He knows I like it when people ask me about my research. He knows I like explaining things. Again, he's trying to get on my good side. Why now, though? He's free to leave. He can't really be interested. _

Marluxia was acting so different today…and his effects were different too. Vexen noticed that he hadn't been getting as angry as usual…that today, it hadn't been as much of a struggle to keep his nomotions in check.

"Why are you doing this?" he finally asked, turning hard slit-eyes to him. "Does it have something to do with whatever you want from me?"

"Perhaps." Marluxia couldn't help but chuckle internally at that "whatever you want from me" comment. _What do I want from you? Only the heart's most complex and buried secrets. Only power and control. Only all of you for my own. _"I just wanted to try something…a little different. Though I truly want to know. I truly want to help with this."

He extended one arm, gesturing almost pleadingly. "Won't you please…let me stay a little longer? I will try my best to learn anything you can teach me about the heart."

Vexen was instantly wary…but again, he just couldn't help it. He knew he was playing right into Marluxia's trap…but he wanted to do this. He wanted to teach him…he wanted…someone by him, working alongside him. The memory of a dark-haired child in a white coat suddenly flashed through his mind. The expression of Marluxia's bright blue eyes right now was…almost the same.

Vexen forced himself to look away. "…Very well. Don't expect this to be easy, though. Someone like you will need to concentrate with all of his energy."

"I'll just use my awesome powers of observation." Marluxia grinned and flopped into the seat next to him. Apparently, he wasn't going to let him forget that for a long, long time.

And so, Vexen began pointing to values on the screen, carefully explaining them, manipulating them, pulling up diagrams, and watching out of the corner of his eye at an amazingly attentive Marluxia. The two of them huddled around the lightly flickering computers, small black lumps against the back wall of the expansive laboratory. And when Marluxia finally turned in and made his way back upstairs to his room…it was almost one o' clock in the morning.

(-)

"_It's going to be okay." _

_The scraggly-haired young man slowly lifted his head…turning, hesitantly to face his partner. Glenn smiled back…a warm, familiar face…the face he had always trusted. The only one he knew he could turn to, no matter what. _

"_H-How?" Lumaira choked the words out. "How is any of this going to be okay? We can't leave, Glenn. They won't let us. They'll kill us." _

"_Then we stay here." _

_Lumaira felt the heart inside of him grow cold…ice spreading and crackling through his chest from the bottom up. Even the sweetness of his treasured, smiling partner couldn't stop it anymore. "You want to…stay?" _

"_I don't _want_ to," Glenn explained. "But what do we have left? It's fine. As long as we have each other…" _

"_I can't!" Lumaira was trembling again, pushing his lover away. "You heard them! I'll be useless in a few more years—there's nothing they can do about it! They'll lock me up somewhere. We won't even be allowed to see each other, because you'll still be active… I want…I want something better for you than this!" _

_Slowly, Glenn's cheerful face was beginning to degenerate. He wrapped his arms around Lumaira's body, and though the embrace was warm and comfortable, Lumaira could still feel the hard coldness in his chest. The Darkness… _

"_Luma…" Glenn whispered, trying to comfort him by using his pet name. "I do too. I…love you. I want you to be happy." _

"_So you think I'll be happy sitting in a tiny cell the rest of my life?" Lumaira shoved Glenn away, to the poor boy's utter shock. "Without air, without freedom, without the sky, the people, the flowers…without _you_?" _

_Suddenly, he could feel the rage, the energy, the power surging up within him. Glenn's round, wide-eyed face only registered in his mind for a second…before he shot back to his feet with renewed determination. _

"_No. No, I don't care what might happen. I'm leaving, Glenn. No matter what they try to do. I'm leaving, and I'm taking you with me!" _

(-)

It had to be today.

Marluxia was currently sifting some kind of goopy viscous substance through a bowl of reddish liquid. He barely understood what he was even doing, but it had something to do with absorption, from what he'd gathered. He stole a glance at Vexen over his shoulder. Vexen was viewing something in a small glass globe attached to one of his crazy machines on the left.

It had to be today. He had to do it.

Marluxia had been debating the whole day whether he should tell Vexen about his supposed attraction. Finally, he had come to the conclusion that he really should. After all…last night…

Marluxia was surprised at how _open_ Vexen had been with him. It hadn't taken much prodding and buttering up to get him to spill nearly all of the heart's secrets. He must have really been desperate for attention. That or…he was picking up the same strange, unexplainable sense of comfort that Marluxia was now getting himself. He couldn't understand why, but part of his brain was telling him everything was fine now. That he could _trust_ Vexen…that he could tell him anything.

Well, that was true, his rational conscious told him. He could tell Vexen anything, and it wouldn't matter if he hated him as a consequence. He didn't matter in the overall rank and file of the Organization. Even if Vexen tried complaining about Marluxia to the other members, they'd probably just laugh at him and tell him to go drink some more prune juice. Plus, Vexen had already shared so many of his secrets with him…it was his turn to entrust him with _his _secret.

Last night, Vexen had given Marluxia a big, long explanation of hearts, laden with technical terms and equations…but he'd been able to put together the gist of it. He'd told him that hearts could only come into being through living things…that was why, as Nobodies, they lacked hearts. Hearts were made up of energies…invisible non-matter properties that came together to form the heart entity. Since they were invisible, intangible, and most of the time non-containable, these separate energies were very difficult to study, identify, and produce. And the human heart was the most complex amalgamation of energy in existence.

Still, Vexen was trying to do it. He believed, beyond all its limits and improbabilities, that it was possible to create a human heart. He'd had little success with creating the hearts of small animals, but he was still willing to push forward with the project. He had a theory…that some of the energies he'd managed to observe in small creatures could also be found sparsely scattered in creatures of Darkness…the Heartless. The emblem Heartless contained hearts, of course…hearts that weren't their own. Perhaps if he could manipulate these energies somehow…pull and nudge them together, merge them, formulate them…a heart could even be formed within a heartless creature, like a Nobody.

Of course, it would be a very long time before something like that could be tested…for instance, if they used Demyx as a test subject (why not Demyx?), he could potentially wind up with the heart of a bunny rabbit (not that that would be too far off the mark anyway).

It was truly fascinating, and Marluxia had also been thinking about these prospects all day. Needless to say, the others had found him a bit spacey again. He couldn't help thinking that _this _was a much better method of gaining their hearts back than Xemnas's plan of waiting for the Keybearer…and forcing the creation of Keybearer Replicas to simulate their functions. But once again…they saw no value in it.

He remembered last night, bending over the screen, watching as Vexen pointed to numbers and parts on diagrams…the light pinkish color representing the heart. He'd showed him the data of various energies he'd discovered himself…compiled into the visual spectrum as formless blobs of color, divided according to their rate of occurrence in the chosen creature. It all didn't seem like much on the surface, but Marluxia could look beyond the simple data. He could see the potential…the essences of the heart coming together, melding into an unstoppable force. A heart forming within a Nobody body, a special power bursting forth from what had looked like nothing at all.

It had to…he would make this come to pass. He would know it, he would harness it, and he would control it. The suspense was almost too much. Suddenly, he had exactly what he needed just an arm's length away. And he was going to have it, no matter what.

_I have to tell him_, Marluxia resolved, tightening one fist even as he lazily stirred his mysterious concoction with the other hand. _Not just because it's a secret to share…but maybe this "attraction" is something that can help us to understand the human heart better. Maybe I have unique energies somewhere inside me. _

"…Hey, Vexen?"

"Is that any way to address your superior?" Vexen huffed in reply. He stepped closer, holding a wriggling black ball in one plastic-coated hand, the usual scowl in place.

"Well, what was I supposed to say? I humbly beg your pardon, Mr. Vexen, sir?"

"A simple 'excuse me' or 'if I may' would have sufficed. With all the training they've put you through, they would've done well to teach you a little common courtesy."

Marluxia stared back into his concoction with frustrated intensity. Did he have to start being difficult again right _now_? "Well…excuse me, then. I just…I have something to tell you."

"Just because you're down here all the time and you think you know everything about me, you expect me to listen to all your deepest, darkest secrets?" Vexen shoved a couple more black balls into a small glowing box device against the wall. He was in a bad mood again today—he hadn't gotten much sleep last night, and hadn't made much progress this afternoon. Not to mention that he still wasn't sure if he'd made the right decision…

"Well, no matter." Marluxia placed a cover over the mixture, determined to get it out now. He turned from the table, finally confronting Vexen to his face. "I really think you should listen to this. It concerns your body."

Vexen raised one eyebrow, forming a perfectly confused/annoyed/freaked out expression, and Marluxia was again reminded of why he just loved talking to him. Vexen had to be one of the most expressive Nobodies in existence.

He set down the long pointed instrument he'd been just about to do some unspeakable thing with and finally conceded. "Okay. What in this world's name could you mean by _that_? This better not be some ridiculous joke again."

"No." Once again, a part of Marluxia's brain wondered if he really did want to do this. Suddenly, the atmosphere seemed a lot heavier than it had been before. He tried to force his body to stop these nonsensical reactions, but he only succeeded in lessening them a little bit. It really shouldn't matter…but somehow it did. It was difficult to look directly into Vexen's face all of a sudden.

"Well…I figured, since you know so much about nomotions and their mechanics… I've been having some really strange reactions lately, and they only happen when I'm around you."

Vexen's breathing temporarily stopped. _Just like…me. Though it isn't that I haven't experienced those particular nomotions before, just never to that degree. Don't tell me he's having similar occurrences… _

"It was really confusing me, so I tried writing them all down and trying to remember similar reactions from my Other's life. I came to the conclusion that it was…'attraction'." Marluxia couldn't take his eyes off Vexen's utterly surprised expression now. He took one final deep breath. "Apparently, I am attracted to you."

A pause. Marluxia held his breath, though he didn't really know why. If Vexen was angry, oh well. If he didn't care, oh well. If he said he was disgusting, oh well. Except it…_mattered_ for some inexplicable reason. He didn't want…to be rejected. Because being rejected by _him _would just be the ultimate insult.

Vexen's eyes were growing wider…wider and wider, until you could see the whites on all sides…until he looked like just a skull with giant eyeballs. And then…the craziest, most unexpected thing happened.

He broke into a huge smile.

"Are you _serious_?" His tone of voice was excited, wondrous.

"Uh…yes, of course." Marluxia couldn't help but act a little disturbed. He most definitely hadn't anticipated that Vexen would react like _this_, and he didn't want to come on too strongly. "At least that was my conclusion. I'm pretty certain, given the connections I've made with my memories."

Vexen was practically trembling with excitement, struggling to hold back the terribly powerful nomotional surge he'd just received. And this hadn't even been happening lately. Everything had been going so well. Damn it. "Are you…absolutely, positively sure?"

"Uh…" Marluxia took a hesitant step backwards. It looked like Vexen was going to explode. "Pretty…sure…I mean…I thought about it…a lot…and I don't know…what else it could possibly be."

Vexen clenched his hands tightly to his mouth, hopelessly trying to smooth this declaration into something not so loud and abrupt, looking for all he was worth like a spazzing schoolgirl. "Y…Y-_Yes_! Aheheheheheheheh, _yessssssss_!" It took all of his energy not to jump into the air and do a little dance, because he just knew Marluxia would never let him live that down. Instead, he just diffused some of his energy by uncurling his hands and twitching his fingers, which probably looked really frightening.

Marluxia slid another foot back. His mind raced as he struggled to come up with an explanation for this reaction. Had he…_wanted _him to be attracted to him? Did this mean he was attracted to him too? Or was he going to use it to his advantage?

"Eeee, I can't _believe_ it!" Vexen lightly stamped one foot, again just trying to get rid of some of this energy. Apparently, Marluxia's presence could augment his positive reactions as well…this would need to be looked into further. "All these years…all this time… Finally…_Finally_…!"

At last, Vexen couldn't hold it back anymore. His body sprang forward with surprising speed, seizing Marluxia's gloved hands and holding them up between his own. "Please…_let me study you_!"

"Wh…Wh-wh-what?" Marluxia was obviously startled, spluttering backwards and flailing to find his balance again. "_Study_ me?"

"Yes!" Vexen had to squeeze his eyes shut in order to concentrate enough to explain. "I've wanted to study the human emotions of attraction and love for a long, long time now, but I was never able to find a willing and suitable subject. If you say you're experiencing attraction right now, I already know it is possible for it to occur in Nobodies. If I can figure out the physical characteristics of attraction, it won't be as difficult to replicate its functions…perhaps…you even have a new, undiscovered energy inside you right now!"

"Um…yes, perhaps." It was all Marluxia could get off his tongue, even though he'd been thinking the exact same thing earlier.

"So may…forget it, I'm studying you whether you like it or not! When have _you _ever asked _me_ permission, hmm?" Vexen finally managed to yank his shaking hands away, fumbling out a clipboard from a nearby drawn and tearing a few pages off the top, leaving them to flutter to the ground. "Tell me more about it!"

"More about it? Uh…" Marluxia finally got the mental clarity back in order to bark at himself for being so weakly unsure. "I'm attracted to your hair."

Vexen began scribbling furiously, even before Marluxia was finished. "And…?"

"Um, but not your face."

"Hair but not face…" Vexen muttered to himself. "Anything else?"

"That's…basically it." Marluxia really didn't feel like attempting to explain his other instances of "attraction" while Vexen was seemingly high on scientific curiosity.

"Hmm…" Vexen stared into the sheet of notes for a moment, slowly coming back to his senses. "Well, I suppose we'll work on that later. You won't mind staying later tonight again, will you? Nevermind, you're staying late tonight. And don't just stand there! Egads, that solution is going to over-saturate!"

"…'Egads'?" Marluxia repeated, as he watched Vexen rush back to his own work sorting and storing the pulsing black orbs. A chuckle seeped out of his throat, and it soon snowballed into full-on laughter as he went back to stirring his goopy whatever-it-was.

This was almost as entertaining as pissing him off. He couldn't help letting a little smile slip onto his face, even though no one could see it. _So…that's what a happy Vexen looks like. _

(-)

In another two hours, after Vexen had finally managed to make his insides stop squirming around unnecessarily, he took a quiet moment while bisecting a sample of lung tissue to really think about what had just transpired.

_Marluxia is attracted to me._ He scowled. It was hard to believe, now that he was actually thinking rationally about it. Why would he be attracted to him? _He's probably playing with me_, he decided. _And I'm playing right into his hands. He wanted to make me lose control of myself like that. But then…why was he acting so shocked about it? Probably just trying to throw me off. _

Vexen moved on to reconnecting the tissue, a very delicate and precise procedure. Suddenly, he heard that familiar voice echoing in the back of his head again. _"You really need to watch that paranoia of yours…"_

_Am I just being paranoid? But…it's certainly merited. And this whole situation is highly suspect. How could he be attracted to me when he's been nothing but disrespectful and antagonistic towards me? Unless…attraction is something that doesn't rely on actually _liking _someone. It could act independently of other friendly-type emotions. Certainly it must be connected to love. Though it may be possible to love someone without being attracted to them. To be attracted to someone without loving them… It could happen. I don't want to count anything out prematurely. Everything must be proven or disproven, after all._ _But still, why…? _

Vexen focused on the table to discover that he'd made an absolute mess of the lung tissue sample while his mind had been so focused on his current predicament. He grumbled a little and tossed it into a disposal bin with a pair of forceps. He should probably work on something that didn't require such exact precision. Unfortunately, he'd already given away most of those simple tasks to Marluxia.

He glanced over at his little pink ponytail from behind, his lightly toned body moving swiftly as he rolled the paper out of a machine that was steadily printing out data. Well…he _had _gone through that recent, jarring attitude shift. Vexen liked to think his disciplining method two nights ago had done the trick, but...maybe it actually had something to do with this newfound attraction.

_I still don't understand…_ Vexen mused, as he lazily extracted another small pulsating Heartless egg and began testing it like he had with the previous fifteen. _From what little I knew previously about attraction, I thought it was a person's physical stimulation resulting from some aspect of another person that he or she found appealing in some way. How could _I _possibly be stimulating to _him_? I currently appear to be almost twice his age, and he already admitted that he doesn't like my face…but my hair. He said it was my hair. _

Vexen scowled tighter as an odd prickling sensation spread over his face and his limbs began to feel like jello. _Damnit…_ He forced himself to concentrate, blocking out the succession of thoughts that threatened to turn him into a lump of stinging mush. _Curse these enhanced reactions. I have to find some remedy for this as soon as possible. It's not that… He really thinks that? Great Darkness, will it just…? …I have nice hair? _

Vexen growled with self-agitation, slamming his goggles back over his eyes, as if that would help him to concentrate better. He couldn't do that now. Not while there was work to be done. Not while Marluxia was still here, as quiet and complacent as he was being now. Whenever he thought about the fact that he liked his hair, he got this terribly irritating squiggly sensation, for lack of a better description. It felt like his cheekbones were on fire, and as an ice-wielder, he couldn't stand it for one minute.

He took a deep breath, and part of his brain just imagined Marluxia smirking behind his back at his lack of self-control. He was probably sniggering at him right now, the little rat. That was better. Imagining Marluxia laughing at him spitefully felt a lot more normal than imagining him staring up at him with adoration. And that was when it hit him.

Vexen froze, one needle raised in his right hand. _If I really go through with this…if I am to get any proper research on attraction by studying his reactions to me…I may have to make a few…concessions. I may have to sacrifice myself a little. Let him…do things to me. …Am I really willing to go that far? _

He shivered, suddenly, as a host of unwanted images flashed through his mind. No…it shouldn't get to that extent. _He's only attracted to my hair. He shouldn't…not to my body. Then, actually, it'll be flawed research, because I'm only studying hair-attraction. Though hair-attraction is better than none at all. Still, what if it _does_? There's absolutely no reason it should. My body…no one would be attracted to my body. …But I'll do it. It's not like I haven't made enough sacrifices for the sake of knowledge already. I'll have to let him touch my hair whenever he wants. …He better not put it in ridiculous pigtails or anything. _

Satisfied, Vexen returned to his Heartless-egg, delving into its depths and blocking out all further thoughts with his familiar old feeling-barrier, still left over from his days with Even. Yet even that sometimes failed against Marluxia's mysterious effects. Something in that warm flowery scent, possibly. But Vexen could worry about that later.

Right now…it was time to switch to some more soothingly brain-taxing experiments.

(-)

Marluxia couldn't believe he was still here. He couldn't believe he hadn't yet keeled over out of utter boredom and monotony. Yet here he was…and it really hadn't felt like that much time. He stared incredulously at the clock on the back wall of the lab…at its funny little black hands that pointed, almost accusingly, at the 2 and the 12. Two o' clock. Two o' clock in the frickin' morning. And he was still in the lab.

By now, he'd finished his tasks and had just been sitting there, watching Vexen work, and thinking. He wasn't even sure if Vexen knew he was still there. The trio of flower-Heartless they'd worked on last time had produced a batch of little black eggs, asexually, it seemed, and now it was just a matter of monitoring those eggs and waiting for them to hatch to see if any of their new attributes had taken. Already, twelve of the seventeen total had been failures.

Naturally, Marluxia had spent the past however many extra minutes thinking about what it would mean for Vexen to "study" him. At least that meant he wasn't going to stop him. He wasn't going to force him to redact his affections…but it was merely for science. But he thought he could deal with that. After all, it would be nigh impossible to get someone with a title like "The Chilly Academic" to reciprocate affections. And Marluxia wasn't even yet sure that he _wanted_ him to reciprocate. Right now, he just needed to indulge his strange nomotions and see where they led.

Marluxia turned away from the clock to continue watching him…and suddenly, he was glad he _had _actually stayed this long. It wasn't until now, in the dim light of the glowing overhead lamps at 2 o' clock in the morning, that he could really see it for sure. He wasn't one to be sorry for others at all, or even notice their discomfort...but right now, something was very different about Vexen, and he could sense it. He looked different...something was wrong...something was very wrong with him. He was still going...and he showed no sign of even slowing down.

"Er...aren't you going to wrap things up soon?"

"In a few hours," he simply replied, his eyes scanning across the various meters on the triple incubation tanks in the corner and taking down notes.

A few hours? In a few hours, it would be four o' clock in the morning!

"Oh, no, you're not!" Marluxia exclaimed. "Don't you pull _that_ again. I am _not_ letting you pass out a second time. The first time was difficult enough."

"I'm not going to pass out!" Vexen snapped back at him. "I'm entirely fine right now. Trust me, I know the warning signs."

But he was tired. He was trying to hide it, but Vexen was exhausted. Marluxia could see it in his slowed, careful movements, his drooping eyelids, his slumped shoulders. Yet he didn't seem to care at all. Plus he still had that whole self-starvation problem…

"This body is disposable," he spoke again, almost as if he had read Marluxia's thoughts. "It does not matter. Once the extent of my work is complete, I will have no further use of it. I have lost sixteen years of it already. Anything more I lose is but a trifle for the sake of progress..."

"No." Marluxia immediately stood in protest, drawing an annoyed eyeball stare from the cracked scientist. "I just…can't stand for that. It doesn't make any sense to me." He couldn't deal with it. Vexen's mistreatment-or neglect-of his own body like this. Missing sleep and skipping meals... Looking into his face now, his cheekbones suddenly looked even more prominent again, and his eyes more sunken. It wasn't scary or ugly or disturbing this time...only pathetic. "I won't let you just do this."

"And why not?" Vexen's voice was as cold and even as ever...appropriately. "This body is useless after its function has been finished. It is already deteriorating as we speak. There is no value in it, so there is no value in attempting to prolong it. Trying to reverse the effects is pointless. I thought I already explained this to you, Number Eleven. If you-"

"No!" Marluxia called again-and this time, a group of vines burst out from his palms at his command, immediately binding Vexen down to the nearest chair. His mouth dropped open a little with shock, but he was too surprised-and too weak-to fight back. It was immediately ironic, and Marluxia found himself flashing back to when Vexen had used _his_ powers to do the same. Maybe that was why it had occurred to him so naturally.

"Stop that!" Marluxia snapped, without even thinking. The words just seemed to fly out of his mouth all on their own. "I...hate hearing you speak like that! It's just...unreasonable and I can't stand it! You are going to rest, whether you like it or not!"

"Ah..." Vexen gave a weakly crooked smile, even as the vines squeezed him threateningly. "But who's going to pick up the remainder of my work for the day? Surely not you, Eleven."

"You can just finish it tomorrow morning."

"Heartless hatchlings won't wait for tomorrow morning."

"Then I'll-then I'll watch them, okay? I'll check on them every fifteen minutes or whatever if you just put off the rest of the work. I promise I won't forget, as long as you rest."

Vexen gave a frustrated sigh, but realized he really had no choice in the matter. "Alright, okay, I'll go. But you'll be hearing about it tomorrow if you don't get the observations down right."

Marluxia gently released the vines and watched intently as Vexen grudgingly made his way to the dusty metal cot-bed in the right corner of the lab.

"And it's every ten minutes."

He lied down, finally, curling somewhat, leaving all of his clothes on, and not even bothering with a blanket. Marluxia fetched the notebook from his desk, and only two minutes later, Vexen was fast asleep, snoring softly.

Marluxia attempted to interpret the near-illegible notes and make his first observation mark. And time went on...

Gradually...Marluxia was finding it hard not to slip over and check up on Vexen himself. He hadn't moved at all in his sleep-another sign of his body's exhaustion. In truth, Marluxia couldn't stand to hear Vexen talk that way...because he thought it wasn't true at all. Just because his body was deteriorating as a result of the siphoning process didn't mean that he shouldn't care for it at all. To him, that body was worth trying to save. Besides...Vexen would be much better-looking if he did take care of himself. Marluxia imagined his face a little less gaunt and careworn, his body not so terribly thin... The image in his head was just too wonderful not to hope for.

Softly, he crept to the side of the cot, forgetting the whole Heartless-egg-watch for now. From this close angle, he could see it. Vexen's face while he slept. It was entirely different from when he had been unconscious. Before, it had just been blank and stony…frozen, dead…but now…

Vexen looked so…_peaceful_ while he slept. It was kind of amazing. He was tucked into a protective fetal pose, head half-shoved into the pillow, eyes closed lightly. It was difficult to place, but there was just _something_ there. He wasn't really smiling…but his face was…relaxed. Normally arched eyebrows had fallen back into gentle lines. The squeezed wrinkles of his face were all smoothed away. Like this…Marluxia suddenly didn't mind his face. In fact…he kind of liked this face. He had a terrible urge just to reach out and touch it.

And so he gave in. Marluxia pulled off his glove and gently, softly brushed Vexen's cheek a little. It was hard and bony, naturally…but also smooth and a little cool at the surface. He ran his hand over his forehead, again feeling the same. Unable to resist, he took one piece of his hair in his hand, feeling the soft texture between his thumb and forefinger. Then…he leaned over to whisper into his ear, automatically, almost as if in a dream.

"Vexen...listen…your body _is_ worth saving. It's…a precious thing and you must care for it. Your health is important...please...don't say it's worthless...don't harm yourself like this... I can't stand it."

"Mm-mmn…" Vexen stirred a little under his hand, shifting and pulling his face a little closer into the pillow.

Marluxia finally pulled back, too afraid of waking him up again to continue.

"Mm…" Vexen mumbled again, his peaceful expression pinching into something gently clenched. "Mmmm-mar…"

Marluxia's breath caught in his throat. No… That… It wasn't…

Vexen shifted again in his sleep, this time reaching up to squeeze the end of the pillow instead. "…marwoosh…" Then, slowly, he fell still again, his face easing back into its peacefulness.

Marluxia was utterly floored. _He just…he just said my name. I think. But it sounded like it._

And so, needless to say, though he knew he'd be in some deep trouble tomorrow, Marluxia abandoned the Heartless-egg-watch to grab a chair and sleeping-Vexen-watch instead. There he stayed, for the rest of the night, until he eventually fell asleep in the chair himself.

Neither of them was awake to witness the moment when one of the Heartless eggs began to quiver violently. It burst open, in a round aura of black-purple Darkness, leaving no residue behind. And in its place was a large, dark blue flower stem.

Slowly, carefully, the newborn flower-Heartless opened silvery petals, revealing its typical yellow-eyed face and the symbol marker at its base. It stretched a little, looked around, shook its head, ruffling its petals…then promptly opened its mouth, spitting out a small but very real cube of ice.


	5. The Excavation Process

Happy Marluxia Year! I'm sorry it took so long to finish this chapter, but sometimes, it just happens. This time, I'm going to go ahead and blame the busy holiday season. Not a good time to be working at a department store. But thank you very much to everyone who reviewed-it really helps! It really drove me to get this done in the the end. By the way, IS ANYONE ELSE HAVING A HARD TIME GETTING INTO THIS SITE LATELY? It freaking won't let me. I haven't been able to read any fanfics for a week. Arrrrrgh! It's always right when I want to do something that crap like this happens.

This is sort of a Vexen chapter. Even though it's Marly's new year. But oh well, we haven't really had one yet. I had a hard time naming this chapter, but I chose "excavation", since a lot of things are essentially "brought to the surface" here, though they might not make sense until a little later. Also, Vexen is much too forgiving. But just chalk it up to the Marluxia Effect.

From now on, there's going to be a lot less of the other Organization members, which is inevitable, since I need to focus on Vexen and Marly's crazy little relationship. Larxene is on the way, too, though she probably won't join the party for another two chapters.

Eeesh, I didn't mean for certain parts of this to be so..._creepy_. I guess that's just what happens when it's a Vexen chapter. Oh, and prepare for major fluff at the end. Don't say I didn't warn you.

All my characters are belong to Squeenix. There aren't any random OCs this time, wow.

Sadly, I can't make any promises about when the next chapter will be. But given that this story has just passed 100 pages, you can rest assured, it will come eventually!

(-)

Chapter 5: The Excavation Process

_ "I can't…you know I can't." _

_He stared down at his knuckles, clenched tightly over his white-covered knees. "I failed…everything. Where it was most important. The only thing that really mattered. And I failed." _

"_That was not your fault. I have already had Aeleus attempt to explain to you…" _

"_It is my fault! No matter what he says. If I hadn't been doing that…if I hadn't…wanted it. If I had only been more careful…" He was choking on tears building up in his throat, forcing his voice into a high-pitched waver. "Why did you…why did you give him to me? I've ruined him. I've destroyed him. I never wanted…!" _

"_Quiet." _

_The other man reached over his desk, resting a hand over his clenched shoulder. Gradually, he found himself looking into his firm, kind, blond-bearded face, deep blue eyes gentle and sincere, even through the misty film of his tear-stained eyes. _

"_Even. Calm yourself. You must not let your emotions carry you away. Focus." _

_He closed his eyes, heaving a deep sigh. "I…I'm sorry. That will never be enough, but I'm sorry…Ansem." _

_Ansem the Wise sat back in his chair, pulling a hand up to his chin and suddenly…looking deathly serious. It was a grave, dark kind of expression that was very rare for him. But these days, it was becoming more and more common. He spoke carefully, softly, yet deeply. "You are weakening, Even. I know—there is no need to deny it. You are very weak now. I should have anticipated this. Have you seen anything recently?" _

"_N-no, sir…" Even looked down into his lap again. "I haven't seen…anything. If I had…if I had seen that…" _

"_Silence." Ansem's voice was firmer now, a little harsh and impatient. _

_Even recoiled, clenching his hands together, trying to prevent the tears from slipping out. But he could feel his insides, soft and wriggling, tender and vulnerable. He hated that feeling. Then there was the nipping…the pecking, the begging at the edges of his consciousness…and, recognizing it, he tried to push it away with all his might. _

"_This is worse than I thought." Ansem shifted his gaze to a paper on the corner of his desk. "Even…you must get stronger. You must try, with everything you have left. I know you can do it. But at this point…" _

_Even focused on the desk too, trying to gather his solidarity. But his heart was a churning maelstrom of emotion now, and he couldn't even find his way through it. _

"_Please..." Ansem continued. "You were one of my brightest hopefuls. I had faith in you. But now…" _

"_Y-Yes…" Even couldn't stop his voice from trembling, as a few tears finally slipped out, plopping onto his black pants. "I'm sorry. I'll try harder. I'll study more carefully. I'll go to the courtyard more often and practice in combat. I need practice, I know I need a lot of-" _

"_That's not what I meant!" Ansem leapt to his feet, which only further frightened the upset Even. _

"_That's not what I meant," he repeated, this time in a softer tone. "You…you have Darkness inside you, and I can tell you're trying to stave it off with everything you can. But you don't realize, Even…" _

_Ansem met the wide, watery green eyes of his apprentice and friend and could almost visibly watch him wither away. Something was happening to him…something terrible, and he couldn't stop it. This was the only way to even try. _

"_Your Darkness is different. It is different from Dilan's Darkness, different from Braig's, different, even, from my own. And you must remember…sometimes, what seems like the brightest, truest Light…is the deepest and most dangerous Darkness of all." _

(-)

"_What the hell_?"

Marluxia lazily opened bleary, aching blue eyes to find a furious, almost spitting Vexen yanking him up by the hood.

"_What_…in the _name _of…_Xemnas's right boot_…happened _here_?"

Marluxia yawned, even while being held up by an enraged scientist who was much stronger than he'd predicted. "I made you go to sleep. Don't you remember?"

"Then explain _this_!" Vexen threw him back into his chair with enough force to send both him and it tumbling to the ground. "Explain _that_!" He jabbed a finger towards the shivering newborn Blizzard Plant in the middle incubation box. It grinned and spit up another little piece of ice. "Explain THESE!" Vexen snatched a small pile of utterly blank papers from his bed and shoved them into Marluxia's now bruised face, fingers twitching.

Marluxia shrugged. "I figured you would be able to infer, from the evidence at hand, that I got bored with watching the Heartless eggs, came to play with your hair while you were sleeping, fell asleep next to you in my chair, and a Heartless hatched while we were both snoozing."

Vexen paused. Slowly, his face was becoming an odd mix of tomato-red and pea-green. The ends of his lips tugged, his nostrils flared, his left eye was twitching so much, it looked like it might pop out of his head. Right now, he looked positively _livid_.

Marluxia knew he was treading in some really hot (or really _cold_) water now…but he just couldn't help it. He smirked. "I was watching you while you slept, you know. You were calling my name. 'Marluxia! Marluxia, where are you? I _need_ you! Come back!'"

Vexen smacked him with the edge of a clipboard, so hard that it made an audible thumping noise.

"Ow!" Marluxia cried, bending over and clutching it, already feeling a hard little lump forming under his hair. "Jeez! …Man, _ow_. What was that for?"

"Oh, let's see," Vexen's voice was filled with the weight of his rage. "How about _not obeying my orders_, _messing up two days' worth of research_, _touching me without my consent_, and just _being the horribly infuriating, disrespectful, antagonizing little rat you are_!"

"Eh, good enough," Marluxia said to himself, though baiting Vexen to hear. "Still won't beat the time you called me a work-rapist, though."

"Errg…urgh…_arrrrrrrgh_!" Vexen had no more words—he simply dissolved into vague grunting and exclamations at this point, shuddering and threatening to tear his empty papers to shreds.

_And just yesterday, he'd been practically skipping around singing about attraction,_ Marluxia thought as he watched. _Talk about mood swings. _It was strange, even, for a Nobody to _be _so moody. He rubbed the back of his head, thoughtfully. "You know," he spoke, even as Vexen spluttered incoherently in the background. "You could've at least given me a piece of ice to put on this."

Vexen turned, and suddenly, four thick icicles were hovering in the air, their deadly points aimed directly at Marluxia's bruised cranium.

"Not like that!" he yelped, ducking and preparing to form some kind of rose-vine barrier to protect himself with.

Vexen relaxed, letting the ice dissolve harmlessly, drenching Marluxia in a bucket-load of water. He took a deep, solid breath. _There I go again_, he disappointedly realized. _Letting him raise my blood pressure. I can't keep forgetting about that and flying off the handle! Still…_ He glanced over at the ice-flower-Heartless, merrily banging its head against the ground. _Some things I really can't forgive him for so easily. Now I have absolutely no record of this Heartless's moment of creation. _

Marluxia just shook out his wet hair like a dog, spraying water across the floor and the cot. "Hey, when did Demyx sneak in here?"

"Stop being funny." Vexen focused his voice into what he thought was a serious, commanding tone. "I am going to make notes on this new Heartless, since you neglected to do so yourself, and since it is almost ten o' clock, _you _are going straight up to the mess hall to get ready for your day."

Marluxia blinked as he processed just what he was talking about doing and all of what it meant. "…Wait. No. Hold on. You are _not_ skipping breakfast again, mister. _No_ way."

"Mister?" Vexen questioned.

Marluxia waved an accusing finger at him. "What did I tell you last night subliminally through your dreams?"

"To submit to the queen of roses or else I'd be stuffed in a box and shipped to Atlantica?"

"_No_…where the heck did _that _come from? I'm talking about taking care of yourself. I ain't going anywhere if you're not coming to the mess hall with me."

"I _can't_," Vexen explained. "Due to your _meddling_ I can't go anywhere until I fully study and document this new Heartless."

"Well, then I'm going up, getting breakfast for_ both_ of us, and bringing it down here."

"You won't have _time _for that. You have to be at the Grey Area by eleven for your mission briefing. It takes at least ten minutes to get up to the…"

"Just watch me!" Marluxia bolted for the door, which had been left unlocked and unblocked…thank goodness Zexion hadn't needed to stop by the lab for anything this morning.

"You're really going to…" By the time Vexen turned around, Marluxia was already gone, leaving a few toppled stacks of papers and the warm, piquant scent of flowers in his wake.

"…At least get me some coffee!" he yelled after him. He didn't hear.

Vexen sighed. The ice-flower Heartless snapped its jaws, reminding him of its presence. "Alright, okay, I'm coming," he grumbled to it.

He was just nearly done recording all of its measurements and vital statistics when Marluxia zoomed back through the door, forcing him back around and stuffing a blueberry muffin into his mouth.

"Mmmmffff?" Vexen exclaimed, so startled that he nearly spit the muffin back out into his face…and in hindsight, he probably should have.

"We got half an hour," Marluxia explained, his voice breathless as he continued to unpack a little bandana-sling full of handy breakfast objects. "For breakfast. And I'm not leaving until you stop whatever silly research you're up to now and come eat it with me."

Vexen glared and tore the muffin from his mouth, quickly chewing and swallowing a bite. "I would've preferred the corn variety."

"_Well_," Marluxia firmly stated, sweeping away some of the lab supplies to set the food out on a table. "Beggars can't be choosers."

Vexen gave him an even more confused look. "That makes no sense. I never even _asked_ you to…"

Marluxia silenced him, this time by sticking a slice of watermelon in his mouth.

"Mmmrrr…" he growled, through a mouthful of squishy wetness, and Marluxia chuckled to himself.

"I need to remember this. From now on, whenever I want you to shut up, I'll just shove food in your mouth."

This time, Vexen _did_ spit the watermelon out…right at Marluxia's feet.

"Eww." He wrinkled his nose. "That was disgusting."

"You want to know what's disgusting?" Vexen stepped forward, squishing the slice underneath his boot and glaring down into Marluxia's face in the process. "_You_…doing something like _this_ to me. I am above you, Number Eleven, and I will not tolerate this treatment."

"What treatment?" Marluxia took a calculated step back, crossing his arms. "Going way out of my way and endangering myself to get some breakfast especially for you because I'm concerned about your health? Whether it's because I want something or not, I'd consider this especially _good_ treatment, considering some of the ways I've treated you before…which I regret, of course."

"Rrrr…" Vexen ground his teeth. For once, he didn't have a comeback to that.

Marluxia yanked a pair of folding chairs out of a corner behind a lab cabinet and swiftly set them up at the table. "Now hurry up and get to it—I only have twenty-five minutes left now because you had to go and waste time."

Vexen continued grumbling and complaining, and immediately bent over to clean up the watermelon mush on the floor.

"No! No, no, no!" Marluxia reached over and smacked him on the back, which only further served to irritate him. "Eat first, clean later. You'll have the rest of the day to do that. Finish your muffin."

"But I don't like that muffin."

"Then have some sausage."

"I don't like sausage."

"Good Lord, is there _anything_ you like?"

"….Poached eggs."

"Well, they didn't have any of those, so shut up and eat a muffin."

"…."

"And don't you dare feed it to that Heartless, either!"

"Why _would_ I? Heartless do not consume any kind of solid food…they live off Darkness itself."

"You'd do it, just to see what would happen, I know you. Now eat it before I bind you to that chair and feed it to you myself."

As much as Vexen hated losing in a battle of wills, he finally just decided it wasn't worth it. The truth was, he _was_ pretty hungry, though most of what Marluxia had brought was repulsive to him. But if this "attraction" of his was strong enough for him to run to the mess hall and get this for him…perhaps he could get him to do it again, and make sure to only get what he liked.

For now, grudgingly, he bit into a second muffin, watching Marluxia's appeased face appear. Yesterday, he'd been too blinded by utter shock and delight to realize the practical applications of this situation. Theoretically, if Marluxia was attracted to him, he should be able to manipulate him to small degrees…offer favors in exchange for tasks…withdrawing certain privileges for unruly behavior.

Vexen took a careful sip of orange juice and noticed Marluxia's blue eyes following his every move. He was just going to have to ride this out…see what happened now. And perhaps take a little advantage of it in the process.

(-)

"This…is highly unproductive."

Vexen was finding it near impossible to concentrate as he bent over his main desk, taking notes out of a thick book. Marluxia smiled…and he could practically _feel_ it. He growled, for what felt like the thousandth time that day. "I can't even _think_ with you…"

"You're the one who said 'feel free to touch my hair as much as you want today'."

"I didn't anticipate that you wouldn't take your hands out of it for _two hours_!"

Marluxia smiled a smidgeon wider. He was having a ball, just standing behind him and playing with his hair…kneading his fingers through it, weaving it into pretty little up-dos and plaits before sweeping it back together again. Lumaira had always been fairly adept at doing some of the others' hair.

Suddenly, Vexen's gently drooping eyelids flew open. "I should make a special note of that!" he realized, leaping from his chair so unexpectedly that he almost clonked Marluxia in the chin. "Now where'd I leave that notebook?"

"Hey, wait!" Marluxia dramatically whined, trailing after him. "I'm not done yet."

It was already almost nine o' clock…and this time, Marluxia had come back to the lab a whole _two hours_ early. It was like he couldn't stay away. He'd dropped by again around one o' clock with lunch, too.

Thus, one of the very first notes on Vexen's attraction research sheet stated "may show up hours earlier than appointed to a scheduled meeting with object." It was a little bit strange for Vexen, since he himself was the "object", but it wasn't the first time in his lifetime memories that his own body had been involved in an experiment. He'd intended to begin the next step to the Replica Program today…but with Marluxia fussing about him like a hairstylist, it was understandably more difficult.

Meanwhile…Marluxia was having the time of his life. Even as Vexen grumbled something about unexpected deterrents and swatted him away, he was perfectly satisfied that this was the best day he'd ever yet had in his Nobody existence. First, he'd come up to the Grey Area after breakfast to discover that both Xigbar and Luxord were entirely gone for the day, off performing some sort of training duty. Of course, that still left Demyx and Axel to bug him, but the whole day had just gone so much more smoothly. Then, Marluxia had managed to finish his mission in time for lunch, so he could grab something from the mess hall and bring it down to a surprised and disgruntled Vexen.

And after that…he'd returned to his floor to discover a wondrous sight…his garden was already blooming. Sustained by his powers, most of the magical seeds hadn't even needed water to survive. Long, green tendrils and flopping, multicolored petals flooded the bluish castle room with color. Even the brown carpeting of dirt provided by Lexaeus had burst into a squishy, plush layer of grass overnight. Marluxia had been completely stunned. As much as he prized the strength and value of his own abilities, he'd had no idea that they were _this_ potent. He'd spent the rest of the afternoon in the newborn garden, examining some of the incredible plants he'd unknowingly produced, and just relaxing, taking in the sights and smells.

Then, it was time for dinner at seven o' clock, and of course, Marluxia had to gather it up and bring it down to Vexen's lab again.

By the third time he'd snuck away from the mess hall, Demyx had thought to question him about it. If Xigbar had been there, he would've asked the very first time, but Demyx was a little more cautious. "Oh, hey, Marly," he'd spoken, giving Marluxia a jolt as he was trying to sneak off with a pot of spaghetti and meatballs. "How come you haven't been staying to eat here with us anymore? I know Xigbar and Luxord are gone today, but you can come sit with us if you'd like." Demyx gestured back to the middle table, where Axel was already making himself comfortable. Today, Zexion and Lexaeus had allowed Xaldin to join them, forming a little "founders' table".

"Oh, it's fine." Marluxia had quickly thought up a dismissal, grinning insincerely and waving Demyx away. "I just prefer to eat in my own room. It's more relaxing. I didn't even know I was allowed to do that until today."

Demyx had frowned a little and glanced down at the pot as if to say "and you're going to eat that whole thing by yourself?" But fortunately, he didn't have the gumption to look any further into it. "Oh…okay. Well, the offer's still up, whenever you need it."

"Thanks." Marluxia had bolted down the stairs after that, just grateful to get away from it all. Sometimes Demyx was a little too easygoing for his own good.

Of course, Vexen hadn't been the least bit grateful for all that effort.

"I hate meatballs," he'd scoffed, and proceeded to delicately pick every last one out of his bowl. He'd been pretty disgusted with the spaghetti, too, but at least not enough to snub it entirely.

_Dang_, Marluxia had reluctantly thought. _What happens if someday, they don't make anything at the mess hall that he likes? …I'm going to have to learn how to cook for him. _

The fleeting image of himself in an apron, cooking something over a stove while Vexen waited at the table sent shivers down his spine. And these weren't pleasant ones. Well, if such a situation ever arose, he could always try growing something in his garden for him. He'd need to compile a list of all the fruits and vegetables Vexen liked, so at least he'd have that. God, why did everything involving him have to turn out to be such a chore? But at least today…

Marluxia hadn't even bothered going back to his room after dinner. There was no reason to—he'd just have to come back in another hour and a half anyway. Vexen had given him a few simple tasks to perform, mostly just housekeeping…filing papers and moving and reordering folders and charts of information. Then he'd said that one miraculous line…

"Oh, yes…and feel free to touch my hair as much you want today. If that is apparently what you are attracted to, further contact with it may lead the way to deeper investigation. I'll take note of your behavior as well."

Marluxia was just brimming with excitement. No Xigbar and Luxord…a beautiful new garden…free rein on Vexen's hair all night? This had to be a dream…an alternate reality of sorts. It was like Marluxia's perfect world had just come to life…a rather scary prospect.

"Alright, okay, that's quite enough!" Vexen finally pushed Marluxia away once he was finished with his next set of notes. "You will cease rubbing your greasy palms all over my head now."

"But what about that research?" Marluxia countered, teasingly batting the ends of his right bang with a finger. "How are you going to make any progress if you deny me the means of indulging my nomotions?"

"I think I've gathered plenty enough observations by now. I can only estimate that you would continue this nonsensical behavior until either I forced you to stop or your body became too tired."

Marluxia grinned, deviously. "I suppose you're right." Ah, well. It was fun while it lasted.

Despite the minutely loosened reins on him now, and admittedly, how much fun he'd been having today, Marluxia really hadn't made any progress either. Though he was immensely enjoying petting Vexen's hair, it hadn't really led the way towards figuring out _why_…or developed into anything different. Well, for a fleeting moment, he'd had a new little urge to kiss the top of his head…but that was still part of this weird little hair obsession he was going through.

Today had made him realize…he needed to know more. Listening to Vexen complain about the foods he hated had sparked a terrible and once again inexplicable revelation. He needed…to know him better. Often, during his daydreams, Marluxia would find himself wondering about silly things like…if Vexen liked ice cream, did Vexen know how to dance, what kind of toothpaste did Vexen use, what kinds of things would Vexen like to do if he ever had a spare second of free time. He wondered if he'd ever tell him…if he could ever get him to tell him…he wondered if Zexion knew these things. He wondered if Xemnas knew these things. Already, he was learning some of these little things…that Vexen hated meatballs, that he liked poached eggs, that he ate so carefully, you could barely even notice his arm moving…he knew that he always slept fully clothed, and that he had a wonderful sleeping face.

Marluxia really couldn't figure out why…maybe, in fact, it was another attraction symptom, and he should probably tell him about it. But…he didn't want to. If he just outright told him that he wanted to know all these things, he'd never tell him. As he stood back for a moment, holding the back of Vexen's head in his gaze, he thought of what an enigma he was…how he was always hiding himself…never letting anyone in…never even letting anyone get close. Marluxia was extremely privileged himself, to know about the siphoning process and the heart research. But there was more…there was a lot more, and he wanted to find out.

"Say," he spoke, finally injecting himself back into the present. "When are we going to start that next study on emotional energy you'd mentioned yesterday?"

"Patience." Vexen's voice was hard, but composed. "I must finish this work on the lungs first. I know, power and knowledge of the heart are all you want from me now. But if you _helped _me just a little bit instead of being nothing but a nuisance and a hindrance, I just might have time to get to it by eleven o' clock."

Marluxia took a hesitant step forward. Quite frankly, the idea of constructing a functioning human lung outside of its body was completely repulsive to him. "Why can't you just use donated organs? Or just other peoples' organs, donated or not? The Organization doesn't seem to forbid the taking of human lives for its cause. At least, that's what I would do. Why do you have to grow entirely new ones by yourself?"

"Because you're an impatient, indelicate brute who thinks only of himself."

"That's not true…!" Marluxia had to choke himself before he added, "I think about you a lot."

_Too much, actually._ _Well, sure, I guess when I think about him, I'm thinking about myself too, because I want him. As my servant. I want him as my servant. But all this fussing over favorite foods and crap…there's no need of that. What the hell? _

Vexen poked a tiny lump in a small tank with a sickening squish. Immersed in a nutrient-rich liquid, the human lung was slowly taking shape, a white-pink lump of meat, empty veins crawling up its sides, the little stems of pipes beginning to form.

"Without the proper fertilization and a womb in which to develop, the Replicas will only turn into vague mushy piles of human tissue if not outfitted with the proper internal systems at the correct developmental stages, at the same rate as a regular human fetus. Using the fully-grown lung of another human being in their new bodies would only harm them. They are both growing at a rate much faster than a human fetus, since they are directly feeding off my life force, and it is imperative that I finish the prototype lung, as it is growing very close to the stage at which their lungs will begin to develop."

Marluxia wrinkled his nose at the lumpy lung with distaste. It made sense, of course. It always made sense when Vexen explained it in such a nonchalant and matter-of-fact way. Still, that didn't mean he wanted anything to do with it. He wanted nothing to do with this whole Replica nonsense.

"It's not fair," he mumbled, under his breath.

Vexen turned and looked down his nose at him in one of his infuriatingly snooty glares. "Now make yourself useful and fetch the vial on the top-rightmost shelf of the cabinet next to the end bookcase, if you would."

Marluxia grumbled and complained, but was grateful to be able to look away from the gruesome sight for the moment. _If only we were in my beautiful new garden now, instead of this dark, grungy, horrifying laboratory. _

Then…even as he reluctantly aided Vexen in his creepy lung-creation, bringing him papers and materials and clearing away spaces as they were needed, a strange little idea began to form in his head. And the more he began to add to it, to dream of it, to hope for it, the better and better it sounded.

"There," Vexen finally announced, forty-five minutes later. He wiped his brow on the end of one of his long sleeves. The prototype lung was still a bit deformed, but it was glowing a reddish-pink color now, and according to his calculations, was functioning perfectly.

He took a deep breath. "That should be simple enough to duplicate in formation code tomorrow. I only need to send this report over to Superior and plug it in before I do tomorrow's siphoning. It might take a little longer, but it's worth it."

Marluxia was too busy choosing his words and trying not to shiver as he stared at the disembodied organ.

Vexen plucked it from the tank and squished all the blood out of it with one hand, as simple as if he were wringing out a sponge. "Okay then." He quickly stashed it in one of his large upright freezers, which Marluxia had discovered, to his horror, were all full of just such cryogenically preserved body parts.

Vexen whirled back around, placing his hands on his hips. "We can start the emotional energy research now…why are you not jumping for joy and complaining about how long this took?"

"Because…because I wanted to ask you something." Marluxia was experiencing that terrible force again…the one that metaphorically squeezed his own lungs, and prevented him from speaking properly.

"What _now_?" Vexen averted his eyes, sweeping back to his desk and beginning to pull out the various binders and stacks of notes pertaining to the particular energy they were looking at tonight. "If there's anything more you wish to know about the heart, it's probably something I have yet to discover for myself, and the only way to get closer to it is to sit down and concentrate on this!"

"No…"

_I'm crazy,_ Marluxia thought._ There's no way he's going to agree to this. No matter how I say it. He'll just think I'm lying. I don't really even know why I want this, aside from… Unless…_

"There's a particular urge I'm getting now…it may be related to my attraction to you, but I'm really not positive…though I can't think of any other explanation for it."

Vexen's face lifted. Widened, wondering green eyes met his…and with an internal smirk, Marluxia knew he had him hooked now.

"I have this sense…that since you've shared so much with me, of your personal projects…I should share something of my own with you."

Vexen blinked, a hint of skepticism behind his eyes now. "You understand, Eleven, that providing me with false data could entirely derail this whole study. Please consider the impact you machinations could have on not only myself, but on the heart research you so covet."

"This isn't false. I know all of that, and I understand it perfectly well—don't underestimate me."

Vexen's eyes narrowed…guarded, yes, but still intensely curious.

"I have told only a very select few about this before, but in my spare time since I joined this Organization, I have been working on creating a space of my own. Just as this lab essentially belongs to you, the library essentially belongs to Zexion, the recreation room essentially belongs to Demyx… I now have a place to call my own. And I want you to see it."

Vexen frowned. "Why?"

"I have no idea." Marluxia shrugged. "Guess that's just part of the mystery of attraction. But I want you…to come to my garden tomorrow night."

Vexen raised an eyebrow…one of Marluxia's personal favorite expressions, he had to admit. "A _garden_? And just why would you think I'd enjoy visiting such a bright, useless, obnoxious place?"

"Oh, I didn't say that you'd enjoy it—just that I wanted you to go there with me." Marluxia let the smirk show on his face now. It really didn't matter, Vexen would think he was up to something either way…which was half-true.

Vexen's ensuing expression clearly read "Oh, God, you're not going to let me get out of this one, are you?"

Marluxia's widening smile replied, "Not in a million years".

"I just feel like I should share something of mine with you…it is only fair, after all."

"Fffffine." Vexen half-sighed, half-spoke. Somehow, as much as he struggled, Marluxia always ended up getting his way. "If only for the observations. And don't expect me to appreciate your smelly flowers or lie in their beds or whatever the hell you waste your time doing in a garden."

He pointedly opened one of his binders with a thump. "Your room is on the fifth floor, correct? I need to deliver the lung notes to Xemnas tomorrow anyway, so I'll simply come down for a few minutes afterwards. A few minutes only!"

"Yes, sir." Marluxia bowed, mock-humbly.

"Just for that, you're hand-copying these sheets tonight." Vexen shoved several papers and a pad of graph paper into Marluxia's hands.

"What? But you said we were-"

"I am free to take back that agreement at any time. I want five copies of each. In the next twenty minutes, preferably. Chop-chop!"

_Damn. He's going to start using this against me now, huh? _Marluxia clenched the papers in his gloved hands, while Vexen sprang off to one of his large machines in the corner. He was going to have to work for his indulgences now.

Marluxia's eyes narrowed as he seized a pencil from the abandoned desk, and the barely-legible numbers swam before his vision. Well, if he meant to challenge him…he wasn't going to let him win. Not now and not ever.

(-)

Marluxia was slightly shocked and flabbergasted when Vexen actually _did _show up. It was a strange time of day…after missions, but before dinner. The blank part of his day that wasn't filled with Organization activities or laboratory activities. He usually filled this time with plotting…or, as now, creating and tending to the garden.

Marluxia was right in the middle of evening out a bush of diamond-patterned roses when a slamming against the door jolted him out of his peaceful reverie.

_It can't… Now? But…! I knew that… I didn't think… What is…? _

He forced himself to calm down. There was no reason at all to be concerned. It was completely irrational. So Vexen had actually been honorable and upheld his part of the bargain. He should've been expecting it. It would have tarnished his pride to slither away from keeping his word.

Marluxia picked his way through leaning stems and giant carpet-petals to the door and carefully passed one hand over the knob, wordlessly commanding the plant around it to relax and drop off. Slowly, he creaked the door open, to find Vexen clutching a clipboard in his crossed arms and looking typically severely pissed off.

"How charming," he complained. "That monstrous weed around your doorknob just tried to burn my hand off."

"Just a few necessary security precautions. I can't have just anyone poking in here and making off with my precious flowers, after all."

Vexen's sour face said "why would anyone _want_ to?"

Silence.

Everything was so…_awkward_. This wasn't right. It was always Marluxia visiting Vexen, not the other way around. Even Marluxia's empty shell of a system could sense it. This marked only the second time he'd ever seen Vexen outside of his lab…and it was there.

Something was just _different_ about him on the outside…it was as if he had erected some kind of magical, invisible barrier around himself. He was detached from this outside world…observing it through a sterile, protective bubble. He could almost _see_ its contours as he hesitantly stepped across the threshold and into his garden. Vexen kept his head down, eyes focused on the clipboard. He hated it.

Marluxia closed the door tightly, winding the plant-locks back into place.

Vexen scowled at his efforts. "You know, I can always use a dark corridor to get away if the need arises. Although Xemnas will know I was here."

"I know." Marluxia folded his hands behind his back. "It's more for the sense of privacy than anything else."

Silence again. Vexen slowly stepped further into the room, glancing around it with a sort of distant interest.

The honest trust was that…he was secretly quite stunned at this "garden" of his. When Vexen had tried to picture Marluxia's garden, he'd envisioned patches of pink and red roses, carpets of daisies, a lake with floating lotuses, bumblebees and pollen floating around everywhere. This…was more like some kind of whacked-out greenhouse.

Just in front of him was an enormous flower with blue shimmering spaghetti-petals, so tall it was almost hitting the ceiling. To his left, a small grouping of bell-shaped plants as tall as his chest were growing some kind of sheer material in various colors. To his right, a tiny forest of bamboo-sticks was sprouting little knobby pink flowers in the exact shape of screws. In the distance, tiny crescent-shaped flowers were constantly rotating at their cups, and a patch of what looked like roots was sticking up in the air, their flowers spread over the grassy ground like base leaves. A circular area held several fat green bulbs, which were growing round, spiky fruit in indigo and orange stripes. The only roses in the entire room were white and dotted with little purple diamonds up and down their petals, their thorns so long and sharp, you couldn't even tell where their stems were.

"Well?" Marluxia finally spoke. He swiftly moved in front of Vexen, stretching his arms out in a grandiose gesture. "What do you think?"

Vexen honestly didn't know what to say. "Um… It's very…different from what I was expecting."

Marluxia crossed his arms, huffily. "What did you expect? Just a bunch of boring old roses? I do love roses, but they've gotten to be so overused, they've nearly lost their true essence."

He hopped forward a little, letting the atmosphere of his wondrous garden overtake all of his physical wavering. It was…good, he thought. He really liked this. He was in charge here…he held the knowledge and the key to this mysterious land…and he couldn't wait to tell Vexen all about it.

"If you don't mind me asking…" Vexen pressed the toe of his boot into the soft grass…and very slowly…the barrier was weakening. "What _are _these unusual plant breeds? I've never seen any of them before."

A smile spread warmly over Marluxia's lips. Talk about playing right into his hands. Perfect. So absolutely perfect.

"Oh. These are all my own original designs. They were born of my own power, from my mind, from my soul perhaps. All I did was create their seeds from magic and plant them in this wondrous soil provided by our generous Number Five. The rest just took care of itself."

Vexen's eyes widened, but Marluxia didn't even notice as he bent down to gently pluck one tiny, red, perfectly round flower from the carpet just next to his foot.

"Though I believe some of them were modeled on the plant life of Borealis…that's the world I came from. At least I know this one was. My Other loved these little yellow flowers he saw once in a while. The roses…"

Marluxia trailed away. He hadn't really meant to say all of that. It had sort of slipped out. He didn't really want to think about the roses now.

"Suffice it to say roses were not always a positive symbol in my world."

Vexen's face had softened, even if just a tad. He looked…normal again. At least to Marluxia. That look…was becoming Vexen's "true look" to him…those slightly widened eyes, eyebrows slightly raised, mouth set in a little slackened curve.

_Wow…_ That was what Vexen wanted to say. But there was no way he was giving Marluxia the satisfaction. He'd never imagined that there was…_more_ to him. More than arrogance and flamboyance and the thirst for power. If these plants really came from his soul…he must have one seriously messed up soul. It was…fascinating.

Vexen could sense that terrible urge bubbling up within him now…the static potential was building in his limbs, trying to prod him into moving forward.

Marluxia looked different again…in his own environment. His gloved hand was so gentle as he stroked the little red cup-flower. He brought his face closer to it, his hair ruffling slightly in an artificial breeze. For a moment, it almost looked like he might kiss it. But he lowered it again, at last letting it tumble lifelessly out of his fingers.

Vexen's own hands were trembling. He should be making a note of this, he thought. He should be writing this all down…the transfer of elemental energy…the creation of entirely unique varieties of living beings…but as much as he tried, he was physically unable to move his eyes away from the sight.

That mysterious, unsettling little smile peeked onto Marluxia's pink lips then. "Still only going to stay a moment?"

_Damnit_, Vexen silently seethed. _Why does he always have to trap me into the exact same things he knows I don't want to admit? It's like he can read my mind! _

Quickly, Vexen fumbled out his notebook, deftly flipping it open to an unspecified page and producing a pen seemingly out of nowhere. "Only until I can document each of these new specimens. I may want to…study them further. I'd like to take a few samples back with me for testing. Your plants may prove valuable in potions. I…I may even be able to make entirely new substances using their products…!"

Marluxia chuckled, lowly. "Well, by all means, go ahead. I'll bet anything they're the most potent plants in the universe. As long as you don't harm them, of course. Because if you do, I'm well within my rights to disembowel you on a thorn-stake." He grinned.

Vexen was struggling and once again utterly failing to contain his excitement. He bounded over to the giant center flower first and bent down to examine its enormous leaves.

Marluxia couldn't help standing back and just enjoying the show for a while. He smiled, secretly. It was just pleasant…entertaining…watching the inspired scientist bustle about, picking through leaves, measuring stems, curiously sniffing at little buds, and poking at developing fruit pods with the end of his pen. Suddenly, the cold, hard bubble around him was gone, and it was like he was back in the familiar comfort of the lab. Except, of course, he wasn't. Not by any means.

"If only I had the proper equipment on hand," Vexen murmured as he carefully fingered the rough outer shell of one spiky fruit. "I could take inside samples…measure their growth cycles, production rate, how their life functions. Have they even been watered? It isn't that sunny in here either. How could it be, with perpetual night on this nonexistent world? This could only mean they do not survive on photosynthesis. Perhaps they have developed some new system entirely!"

Vexen was utterly fascinated. Of course, he'd never outright say so, though it was simple enough to tell. He shook his head gently in utter disbelief as he ran one hand up the length of a screw-bamboo stalk. "I'd never imagined…"

Marluxia lifted his head from where he'd been leaning back against the stem of the giant flower in contentment. This was simply lovely…wonderful. Seeing Vexen so enraptured by his own special creations. That…little smile of wonderment directed at a piece of his personal world. It meant nothing, of course. It went no further than the pure, blank desire to acquire more knowledge. Just like Marluxia's own inherent need for power, Vexen had the inherent need for knowledge…perhaps all Nobodies were born with one specific driving force. But even so, no matter what it was…Marluxia just liked watching it. He didn't want it to stop. He never wanted it to stop.

But it had to. It had to stop now. This was his chance. Maybe the only chance he'd ever get. He had to do it now. This was the half the reason for bringing him here, after all.

Slowly, delicately, Marluxia moved forward, leaning his weight on one front foot, moving his right hand back…carefully stretching his fingers.

Vexen knelt to get a good view of the screw-bamboo's roots.

For a second, Marluxia hesitated. _What if he doesn't even notice…? _

But there was no time to be considering the potential consequences. Another moment's delay, and it would be lost. The energy surged through his system.

_Now!_

In an instant, the air was shearing past him. The garden melted into bright rainbow streaks. And in the center was the barely-visible yellow-black splotch of the kneeling Vexen.

Everything happened in a split-millisecond, so sudden, it wasn't even real.

"Hnnn!"

"Ah-!"

_CHNK! _

Marluxia suddenly felt a force collide with his onrushing scythe, smashing through his arm and throwing his violent momentum straight back at him. Just in time, he managed to brace himself, throwing one foot backward and digging it into the soil, using it to slow his rebounding body. He swung the handle of his heavy scythe out in front of him for leverage and just barely managed to avoid toppling backwards. What in the world…?

Marluxia blinked, letting the shapes of the world settle back into solid reality…and just in front of him was a large, blue, metal object. _Some kind of…device?_

It took him a second to recognize…that Vexen was behind it. His tall, thin body was slightly trembling, though he stood utterly rooted to the spot. And his face was underlined with pure rage, green eyes flashing dangerously, its angles now sharper and deadlier than ever. It was hard to believe that less than a minute earlier, he'd been curiously plucking away at the base of a plant.

But Marluxia's attention was drawn to the metal object…and he could finally perceive that Vexen was actually _holding it up_. It was shaped like an upside-down teardrop, punched at the sides…and crowned with five large spearheads.

_There you go. Success. _Marluxia smirked.

Vexen trembled even more erratically, fighting against his urge to impale the sick bastard on the center spear. He was paralyzed, he realized, readying himself for a successive attack…for an epic battle…to fight to the death. The electrifying sparks of nomotional energy shooting through his body now were too intense to even act on. He wanted to scream, yell at him, shout every curse word he could think of at the top of his lungs…but the energy coursing through him was only focused with its utmost power on one thing—standing his ground and stopping any blow that might fall anywhere near him.

Vexen shot his gaze straight into Marluxia's mischievously slanted blue eyes challengingly, daring him to take even one minute step closer. He would halt him dead in his tracks.

Marluxia's smile widened. And then…he did possibly the one thing Vexen wasn't prepared for.

He gently lowered the blade of the giant pink scythe in his hand, letting it droop towards the ground…and then simply let its handle fall out of his loosened fingers. It fell, dissipating in a sheen of darkness and a handful of pink petals just before it hit the grass.

Vexen tightened his grip on the handle in his left fist. He had to be prepared for just about anything now. Was Marluxia planning on fighting him with his element alone? In a place like this, it could be ten times as powerful. It was impossible to know what that idiot was thinking, what he was going to do next… Vexen mentally scolded himself for letting his guard down around him in the first place. How could he have been so terribly brain-dead?

Marluxia stepped forward, his boot squishing into the grass, and Vexen jumped at the noise, tensing every tiny muscle in his body.

"Yes." Marluxia spoke, and to Vexen, it was like a bomb exploding.

He took another few steps, slowly, gently… Aware of the fact that any sudden movement could find him stabbed straight through the stomach. Yet he wasn't afraid. If anything, he was more settled…more satisfied than ever. Carefully, he lifted one arm…almost reaching out.

"A shield. Of course. I should have known."

_My _weapon_? _Vexen's mind reeled at the utter absurdity of this situation. _He lured me to this garden to launch a surprise attack on me just because he wanted to know what my _weapon_ was? _And just when he'd thought he might, just might, possibly be able to understand him.

Oh, that sight was so wonderfully pathetic. But at least he knew what he was dealing with. Marluxia focused on that image…and he understood everything. It was plain as day now, and he knew what he needed to do.

Very slowly, carefully, tediously, he made his way forward, advancing towards Vexen's frozen form. And gingerly…almost tenderly…he placed his hand on the smooth, cold surface of the shield's front panel.

He could feel the acidic sting of Vexen's eyes following every tiny twitch of his fingers. But Marluxia only smiled to himself and began to run his hand, softly, over the surface, feeling its hard, unrelenting edge, even through his glove.

"It fits perfectly." He slowed his voice as well, speaking in a hushed tone, just above a whisper. "You're always protecting yourself. Building impenetrable walls of ice around you. Never, ever, ever letting anyone in. No one stands a chance, do they? That attitude…that cold bitterness of yours…they're all just a part of your defenses, aren't they? Impressive."

Vexen's breath caught. Something was happening. Suddenly, something strange and incredible was happening, and he had no idea why or what or how.

Images were flashing through his mind…well, not images, really, but…_nuances_. Edges. Slots. There was no word capable of describing them. Movements. Sparks. Colors. He desperately scratched at the walls, trying to pull his efforts back into holding onto his defensive position.

_Truth_. Revelation.

Marluxia took this opportunity to slide closer…his body was almost pressing against the front of the shield now, his face leaning closer, just over its edge, peering in at the hopelessly tensed scientist. His voice was even softer now—breathless, intimate.

"…And I'm going to slip through it. I'm going to melt it all away. I'm going to ease away every one of these defenses of yours…even if I have to fight them. I will reach that center. Whatever you've got hidden away from the world. And it will be mine."

A strange shiver ran up Vexen's spine, from the very small of his back to his neck. These sensations…this sudden inundation of sensory details was flooding him now, overtaking him.

Marluxia pulled away, letting his arms swing back down to his sides.

With one powerful shudder, Vexen tumbled to his knees. His shield disintegrated in a burst of blue light and a confetti of snowflakes.

Marluxia gave a smug nod, pleased with himself for a job well done.

But Vexen hadn't collapsed because of his little speech.

He gaped straight past him, just trying to process everything, reeling from the shock of whatever had just happened to him. He could _see_…somehow, he could _see_. He knew, he understood. He looked up into Marluxia's smooth, proud face…and saw everything.

"You…you sick… You perverse… How can…? That's…not possible. And even if it was, you… You're filthy. Disgusting to the core."

Marluxia leaned down, closer. He still thought they were talking about metaphorical ice-walls and melting. "It _is _possible," he answered…to both questions at once. "I know it is possible. Just you wait. And if you value that "attraction research" at all, you're just going to have to deal with my so-called perversity, aren't you?"

Vexen tightened his gaze. In that instant, suddenly…he'd seen what could possibly be everything that made up Marluxia. His postures, his movement, his moods, his mannerisms, his personality…and the building blocks of where they had come from. It was like he'd looked into Marluxia's very person…his unique, deeply personal traits…the lingering remnants of his heart, splattered against the walls of his insides. It was extremely uncomfortable.

Vexen quickly erected his defensive barrier again, forcing himself to push away the questions for now. He could think more on them later, maybe do a little research. He made his way back to his feet, completely ignoring Marluxia, much to his frustration.

Vexen's jaw clenched as he looked back into the face of that…_thing_. He'd never be able to look at him the same way again.

"I must be going now."

"Aww, leaving so soon?" Marluxia was still in full-on tease mode. He swept down to pluck another cherry-red flower from the ground, twirling it between black-coated fingers. "But what about the notes on all of my wondrous new plants? Surely, you can't be done already."

"I will have to finish at another, more productive time. With the proper equipment."

The barrier was back. Marluxia could sense it. It was as if the summoning of the shield itself had caused it to reappear. Or, well, the surprise assault. That could cause anybody to put up their defenses. Oh, well. He'd probably ruined it for the rest of the day. But, oh, it had definitely been worth it.

Marluxia put his best efforts into what he thought was a warm smile, but it still turned out kind of wicked and lopsided. "Oh, calm yourself, Vexen. You know I was never going to hurt you. I want this, too, to be a place you can come to relax."

Gently, he reached forward…tucking the little flower behind Vexen's right ear and brushing his hair over its stem.

Vexen grabbed it immediately, squishing it to death in his hand and letting its sorry petals fall, destroyed.

Marluxia reached out to caress his hair again, but he jerked away. It really was worse than ever.

Suddenly, Marluxia just wanted to kiss his cheek…make amends, reverse whatever small amount of damage he'd done. But he knew he'd never let him.

Vexen turned his back on him now, determined to make it out the door this time. "Marluxia…" he finally spoke, and though his voice was grave, it held some vague hint of something positive within it. "…Don't forget nine o' clock."

And with that, he swept to the door, almost without moving his feet, and closed it firmly and finally behind him.

Marluxia stood there for a moment, watching the spot where he'd just disappeared. In this whole process, he'd probably only succeeded in making Vexen even more paranoid and less receptive to him. He'd probably have to deal with the consequences tonight, when he might decide to imprison him in a freezing chair again while forcing him to do tedious paperwork. He'd probably only made it more difficult to get Vexen to trust him and reveal himself to him.

But he couldn't help noting, with a droplet of awe at the edge of his thoughts…that just now… That was the first time Vexen had ever called him "Marluxia" while awake.

(-)

_"But I can't… I don't understand why you would… I'm no good with children. I was an only child myself. I've never had to take care of them. I've never bothered with them, really. I could care less. Why not just give him to Xehanort?" _

_Master Ansem softly shook his head. "Xehanort is far too unstable. And no matter how you object, I happen to believe that it's a very compatible match. You may not have heard…our young Ienzo is not only an orphan, but a prodigy. I'm sure you can relate." _

_Even gripped tightly to the ends of his coat sleeves, anxiously. His head dipped down ever-so-slightly. "That may be so, but…he's bound to have problems. Deeply personal, emotional issues to work out. No child could go through something as horrific as that without coming out damaged in some way. If I should make a mistake, as I'm sure I'm bound to do, given my inexperience in the area of childcare…" _

_Ansem folded his hands, tightly, behind his back. "Ienzo is a human being," he firmly reminded him. "Not a book, not a subject, not a 90% majority. This arrangement will provide both of you with an excellent learning environment. There is much Ienzo could gain from studying with you…and as much as you may deny it, Even, there is a lot you could stand to learn from him." _

_Even could feel his legs beginning to tremble. "But if I should mess up…if I should say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing…" _

_Ansem strode back to his desk, assuming his authoritative position again. "You can't see anything about this, can you? That's why you're so apprehensive about it." _

_Even's eyes widened. He bowed his head again, ashamedly. "N-No. No, I can't. It could…it could end badly. I don't want to…" _

"_Again, I say, it will be good for you. Fording down a new and unpaved path. If you are truly interested in new discoveries, you will take this wonderful opportunity. You should be honored that I deem you worthy to entrust with the life of my new son. And I do trust you, Even. I trust you and Aeleus most of all." _

_Even was still trembling. He couldn't control it…this was all just so nerve-wracking. He'd never been really good at this under-pressure stuff. "Th…thank you, sir." _

_Ansem frowned back, and he could just tell what he was thinking. He'd told him several times already not to call him "sir". They knew each other, they'd gone to Radiant Graduate University together, and they were, for all the world, just friends. But Even was too high-strung to just treat Ansem as a friend. _

_Carefully, Even glanced up again, curiously. "Tell me…does Ienzo… Is he the same as…me?" _

"_He is a shy, highly intelligent, precocious young man who loves books and his alone time. …But the similarities between you go no further than that." _

_Even nodded. His voice was growing softer…slowly, timid and afraid again, though there was no discernable reason for it. _

"_Ansem… Did you… Was… Was the reason you approached me and asked me to become one of your apprentices…was it because of my abilities?" _

_The round office fell silent. Ansem lifted a hand to his chin, scratching his beard just a little bit. _

"_If by 'abilities', you are referring to your exceptional research handling, your creative and unique experimental directives, your adept logical reasoning, and your focused, productive work ethic, then yes, those were what I came to you for. Your more "special" abilities just come as an added bonus." _

_Even froze. He knew. He just…couldn't stand this. Ansem already had plenty of other competent scientists working for him. There was no need… _

"_Tell me…the truth…" he insisted, clenching his entire body with the effort. "…Ansem." _

_Ansem's face softened. He took a seat at his desk, at last, leaving Even standing, and making a steeple with his fingers. _

"_Well…let's face it, there are very few people who can do what you do. None, actually, that we know of in this world. I understand just how valuable it is to have those abilities at our disposal."_

_He paused, looking back at Even with pure concern. "…And I also know how you have been exploited for those abilities. Possibly your entire life." _

_Even looked away. Sometimes, Ansem just seemed to _know_ things.__  
_

"_So yes, in essence, you are here to be one of my brightest scientific researchers…and as of now, young Ienzo's mentor. If I ever require anything more of you, it is my duty to inform you beforehand. And it is always up to you whether you oblige or not." _

_Even closed his eyes. It was always up to him…really…was it, now? Unconsciously, he pressed fingertips to one spot on his upper chest, just below his soft, purple cravat. _

"_Th-thank you, sir—ah, Ansem." _

_Ansem chuckled. "I'm sure you and Ienzo will get along just fine, even if you can't tell. Now go. I can't wait to watch it unfold…" _

(-)

_ It can't be that. That's impossible. I've tried it before at least fifty times! _

Vexen was dead to the rest of the world as he desperately searched through his log books, shifted through charts on his computers, and pulled books out of his bookshelves, throwing them halfway across the room. Marluxia watched all this with wide blue eyes from his ice-chair prison. Vexen had seen fit to freeze him in place again, probably re-awakened to his paranoia.

He was practically panting with effort as he studied intensely. Well, he'd had to siphon quite a bit of life force to the Replicas today…a bit more than normal, due to their current growth process. But he wasn't about to let that stop him. Even his next assignment could wait for the moment. He had to figure out just what in the world had happened when he had seen…when he had somehow gathered Marluxia's physical data in his head without even trying. _How _had he done that?

_It's not Even, it can't be_, Vexen assured himself. _The powers he had…I do not share them. I've tried numerous times to duplicate them…to simulate them, even, and each attempt ended in failure. It's because his powers were tied to the Light. A being devoid of all Light, such as a Nobody, has no hope of being able to access them. Unless, somehow, I am no longer devoid of all Light. But then, if I were, I should…be dead. Nobodies exist from Darkness itself. The smallest bit of Light inside me could melt me away. This is one of my main obstacles in the process of creating Nobody-compatible hearts. Hearts are Light…having a heart could destroy us. It's…it's not possible. Unless…it had something to do with Marluxia. Maybe _he _did it. Or something he did reacted to something within me… Maybe he _wanted _me to see that. He would. He definitely would. But _how_?_

"Are you ever going to tell me _why_ you've deemed me unworthy of trust again?" The offending flower-man spoke up, glaring back at Vexen over his shoulder. "Aside from my sneak-attacking you. I really do apologize for that, you know."

"Yes." Vexen snapped his most recent book closed, whirling to face him, a dark expression coming over his long face. "I need to know what you _did_ to me back there."

"What I did to you?" Marluxia would have cocked his head if his neck had been fully functional. Apparently, Vexen thought just freezing his butt wasn't enough and had frozen his entire body, up to his head. "All I did was launch a surprise attack on you in an effort to get you to summon your weapon, and then I gave you my impressions on it. I'm sorry if my presentation happened to be a little too intense for you."

"No, I'm talking about afterwards…the visions. Your data..."

Marluxia blinked. "What visions?"

"Don't play dumb with me. You must know about them. What made me collapse…"

"My wonderful presentation, yes, you were simply in awe of me. It was delightful."

"I'm not talking about your stupid little speech! I didn't collapse because of _that_!"

Marluxia blinked again.

He didn't know. Vexen could somehow just tell from his eyes. He was truly surprised…and he'd truly believed that his simple words had made him fall to his knees.

Vexen sighed with frustration and whirled away again. "Nevermind. I'm going to figure this out, even if it takes all day."

Marluxia watched his retreating back with slight regret. Or at least there was a nagging voice in his head, telling him that he probably shouldn't have done that. Suddenly, he'd locked him out again…now, he wouldn't even tell him what had happened.

Vexen was suddenly being twice as cold…so, right then and there, Marluxia resolved to work twice as hard. That was all there was to it.

(-)

By the next afternoon, Vexen had apparently come to some sort of conclusion about what Marluxia had "done", though he still refused to tell him. It was strange and unusual, and Marluxia didn't like it one bit.

Marluxia was…very perplexed. So, his minor "threats" hadn't scared him; it had been something else. But maybe he was just making that up to save his pride. Nevertheless, whatever had happened…it had changed things.

Vexen acted differently around him…so bitter and disgusted it was almost like…he was afraid. He was always afraid, he was beginning to realize. He showed a hollow, brick wall of a face to the world on the outside, but Vexen was always uncomfortable somewhere behind it. The only time…the only time he'd ever _not _been tensed up had been in his sleep.

Tonight, Marluxia had the wonderfully interesting job of cleaning up. Vexen had made a veritable mess of the laboratory last night and apparently, hadn't had the time to put everything back in order. He had more Replica-organ studies to take care of, anyway, and Marluxia would rather not be involved with that.

Meanwhile, everything else was beginning to work like clockwork. Despite the literal cold shoulder Vexen had turned to him, Marluxia had still delivered meals to the lab all day. Vexen was even less grateful than usual, but at least he wasn't about to pass up a free food delivery service.

Missions were boring, Luxord was back and being annoying, the garden was as crazy and beautiful as ever. The only thing changing, the only thing developing…was this. And something terrible was happening.

Marluxia had had a lot of time to himself to think, during last night and all of today. And since he was no longer permitted to participate in Vexen's current projects, there was nothing left to do but…watch. And the more he watched, the more his eyes were starting to play weird tricks on him. He'd thought he was going crazy at first, shaking it away, closing his eyes, trying to rationalize it, explain it, ignore it. It wouldn't be ignored. A tiny stab of panic ran through him when he thought about it, almost as if his body knew something was very wrong with itself. It was almost painful. But something had to be wrong with his eyes. Or at least his brain.

Slowly, Marluxia turned from his crouched position at one of the lowest bookshelves when he heard the dull stone scraping of Vexen rising from his chair. He watched, silently, as he strode over to a cabinet on the right and pulled a few vials from it, carefully closing the door.

Looking at his back like this… Suddenly, everything was different. This time, Marluxia noticed things…little things he had never noticed before. Like how _tall_ and _slender_ Vexen was. Of course, he'd known that before. He knew he was taller than him, and it was obvious that he was quite thin from his missed meals. But maybe, perhaps, his form had filled in just a _tiny _bit more. Otherwise, how could it have looked so…_different_? So…lovely?

The billowy black coat hugged the long, soft curves of Vexen's body, particularly his hips, putting them in silhouette from the back. Everyone else in the Organization had coats that did the same, of course…but no one else had that…smooth figure. And then, when it moved…

Marluxia watched as Vexen half-walked, half-glided back to his seat with an elegance that had never before existed. When he reached the desk, he quickly bent down to pull a few papers out of a file drawer, and Marluxia realized what a nice rear end he had…quite small, but gently rounded. He must have put on a little weight, because before, it had been too baggy on him to see. Either that or…he'd just never noticed.

Part of his thought process was scolding him for thinking Vexen's body was attractive—it was almost double his age, for Darkness's sake! But then, another part was asking…_why? Why do I think there should be something wrong with that? Lumaira loved a man before…a young man. This…things like this were…part of it. Though it was the other way around. Older men thought us young men were attractive. Why do I have a problem with it? Do I think…I could do better? I probably could…but…I don't _want_ to do better. _

Marluxia wanted Vexen. He'd known it before, but he knew it now, with even more certainty than ever. He wanted him…and only him. Slowly enough, Vexen was almost becoming his closest confidant within the Organization, and in his entire non-life. Of course, he'd never really confessed anything to him, aside from letting him in his garden. But still, it was a personal enough area.

The need was returning in full force…that need to know more, to get inside. Vexen's mystery, somehow, was part of what made him so attractive. But Marluxia just knew that what he was holding back had to be something truly wonderful. It had to be his. He needed to possess it. It was one of the only things he knew for sure in this bleak world, besides that flowers were beautiful and that Xemnas was a douche.

"I _am_ sorry about that whole ordeal, whether you believe me or not," he mused aloud as he slipped a few books back into their proper slots. "You understand…I am only a Nobody, after all, a being of impulses and without regrets. I was immensely curious to find out what kind of weapon you wield, and I did the first thing that came to mind."

Vexen slammed a small door closed. "You could have tried _asking_, like a regular, civilized person. Even if you had to physically _see_ it, you could have just _walked up_ and asked "Excuse me, Vexen, I've been wanting to see for a long time now, do you think you could summon your weapon for me?" Then I could've said, "Sure, I don't see why not. It's only natural you'd wonder about that by now." And everything would have been _fine_. But _no_! _You_ decide you have to _force it out of me_ by _attacking _me!"

For the moment, Marluxia remained silent. He turned to look at him, and noticed that Vexen had stopped, like he wanted to say something more.

"…If…you thought you had to do something like that because I wouldn't tell you otherwise…I would have. I really would have."

Marluxia opened his mouth, but couldn't get any words out. Something about Vexen's tone just now…

"We-ell...even so, I had to do it this way. I wanted to see your reaction when you were in danger. In the heat of battle, you know. I had to discover it for myself."

Vexen still wasn't moving, and Marluxia took the opportunity to move closer, leaving the bookcase behind him. A smirk peeked onto his face again, when he got close enough to see Vexen's perturbed expression in the glow of a bluish desk-lamp.

"Ah, Vexen," he murmured, almost tauntingly. "You know you can't shut me out forever. You're the one who bound us together in the first place. You're the one who wanted to study my attraction and see where it led."

"As my _assistant_!" Vexen's head snapped up, angry, torn. "As a _subject_! Not…not…" It sank back to the desk again, and this time, he let his forehead drop to the surface with a dull _thnk_. "Oh, Darkness…"

Marluxia wordlessly moved behind him and began to stroke his hair. _Poor thing_, he chuckled internally. _He's so confused. _

"Don't—_touch _me with those fetid hands!" Vexen flung a hand over his shoulder, slapping them away.

"But I'm wearing gloves."

"It doesn't matter! It just…goes straight through!"

Marluxia grinned.

Vexen sucked in his breath, obviously regaining his bearings and deciding what he had to do. There was so much…_conflict_ within him now. He wasn't used to making these kinds of decisions…the worst decisions he usually had to worry about were if he should mix in chemical B or leave specimen D in the climate-test box for another five minutes. Personal choices…what a difficult notion! If he'd had the time, he would've written up a comprehensive list of all possible pros and potential cons involving each of his apparent options…but since Marluxia was in the room right now and wouldn't be able to leave for another ninety minutes, he'd have to go with this for now.

"Marluxia…"

Immediately, Marluxia was right at his side again. It was strange, and terribly invigorating to hear Vexen say his name. He really liked it.

Vexen turned, to gaze icily down into his face, and suddenly, he thought for the first time how vibrant those green eyes were.

"...try anything like that again, and I _will not_ forgive you."

Marluxia would have smiled, were he not so transfixed by his eyes. "Y-Yes…"

Vexen crossed his arms, huffily…finally settled again. "So what are you waiting for—get back to work!"

"Aww," Marluxia snapped himself out of his trance, shaking his fluffy head a little. "But-but you forgave me! Doesn't that mean I get to help out again, instead of slogging through these menial tasks?"

Vexen rolled his eyes—and Marluxia followed them. "It's the very _least_ you could do for me on my _birthday_."

"Wha-" Marluxia had opened his mouth to make some snappy retort, but that statement had just entirely derailed him. "Your _birthday_? I didn't know Nobodies _had_ birthdays. Wouldn't that just be the day you were formed? But then, wouldn't it also be the birthday of everyone in the Original Six? Unless, you mean, it's the birthday of your Other…"

Vexen shook his head a little. "Well, I'm taking it as one. It isn't really my birthday…but I did turn 43 just this afternoon. So you had better-"

_Bam! _

Vexen jerked backwards as Marluxia's fist suddenly came down on the desk with enough force to make the whole thing rattle. He glanced down at it, calmly, eyes widened slightly.

It had been all Marluxia could do to divert his body from striking Vexen himself. That would definitely _not_ help his situation, especially now, after he'd finally forgiven him for the whole sneak-attack incident. The casual mention of the siphoning process had just _sparked _something in his body—set off an explosion of force.

"I… Don't say things like that," he finally managed to growl out. "I hate it when you mention that. I wish you'd stop that stupid project."

Vexen shrugged, completely unperturbed. "It is my life's work, Marluxia. I would never abandon the Replica Project, even if Xemnas released me from it."

Marluxia softly drew his arm back, assuaged by the sound of his name again. "What if…your leader ordered you to?"

"Xemnas would never give such an order. It is ridiculous to even consider that circumstance."

"I'm not talking about Xemnas! If someone else…was superior. And he ordered it."

Vexen clenched his jaw closed, turning a piercing expression to him.

"…Think about it!" Marluxia couldn't keep the dangerous words from spilling out of him now. "If we complete your research on the heart…if it's possible to create hearts, or grow them, or fashion them…then there's no need of this! There's no need for you to give away your life like this! Why should you even-"

"_Silence_!"

Marluxia complied, finally coming back to his senses.

Vexen had one hand raised, prepared to summon any manner of deadly icicles at a moment's notice. He glared down at him, brilliant green eyes flashing warningly. "Banish such thoughts from your mind. I can assure you, my research on the heart is not meant to replace the Replica Project…and even _considering _it as such is treasonous to this whole Organization. I will not tolerate such talk, and any further discussion in this vein is now permanently closed."

Marluxia slowly shut his mouth and fell silent, much as it bothered him to do so. He really couldn't afford to push the issue and get back on Vexen's bad side so soon. It would have to wait… He took a deep breath and lowered his head a bit, in defeat.

"Now finish your work," Vexen commanded, whirling away from the sight to concentrate on whatever he'd been doing previously. "If you finish in time, you can assist me with the diluted heart energy cross-samples I was working on yesterday."

Marluxia grumbled as he dragged himself back over to the disheveled bookcase. It was so hard to hold his tongue, especially after something had lit a metaphorical fire in his veins. But for the better of it all, he had to take control of his nomotional reactions.

Somehow, fortunately, he managed, and did, indeed, finish in time to get his hands into some heart-energy research. It hadn't really gotten anywhere, but according to Vexen, that was to be expected. They'd only just begun taking the data from what little energy samples Vexen had been able to gather and creating similar easier-to-work-with facsimiles. From these, Vexen hoped to better study the way these few particular energies interacted and look for any potential patterns in their behavior. By the end of the night, the first one, after several failures, was almost half-done.

Marluxia was kind of disappointed, but at least Vexen seemed quite pleased with it, carefully bottling the substance and storing it on a small glass rack above one of the cryogenic freezers.

By that time, it was almost one o' clock in the morning. And Marluxia had an idea. Now that Vexen was in a better mood…

"There we go." Vexen finished packing away the tray of supplies they'd used, standing up straight again and dusting off the ends of his long coat. "That should do it." He turned again when there was no reply, raising one eyebrow at Marluxia as if to say "what are you still doing here?"

"I…had a bit I wanted to tell you tonight," Marluxia spoke, trying to make his tone sound as smooth and innocent as possible. "About my attraction. You might want to make a note of this."

Vexen's skinny little eyebrow arched even further upwards…any more, and it would leap straight off his forehead. "Yes? I'll write it down later, if it is anything of consequence."

He was being more cautious about this now, unfortunately. Marluxia didn't think he'd be able to pull all of this off, but it was definitely worth trying.

He arranged his arms so that they were tucked behind his back, meekly. "Well…you know how I told you before that I was attracted to your hair and not your face?"

"Yes." Vexen's voice was still hard, but he could sense the curiosity buried somewhere underneath it.

"Well, that's not exactly true. I've kind of discovered now that I _am _attracted to your face…but only when you're asleep."

Vexen scowled. "You want me to go to sleep, so that I'll be defenseless again, and this time you can try stabbing me with a thorny vine."

"No!" Marluxia immediately objected. "I'm being completely honest this time…I've no way to prove it, but I am. Remember that other time, when I forgot to monitor the Heartless eggs and fell asleep next to your bed? That was because I…couldn't stop staring at you."

Vexen's eyes suddenly flickered away, towards the floor. The faintest bit of a flush was creeping onto his face.

"I…really like the way your face looks while you're sleeping. You're so relaxed and peaceful and contented. And I want to see it again. I want…you to be like that…more often…even while awake."

It sounded wrong. It sounded insane. It sounded incredibly suspicious. But Marluxia was acutely aware that every word of it was true. His body shuddered, involuntarily, though he couldn't figure out why.

Vexen's eyes were burning an acid-green hole in the floor. "You're such a liar," he softly spoke. "Did you honestly think something like _that_ would work on me?"

"Yes." The slithery word was sliding out of Marluxia's mouth almost before he could even think it. "Because it's true. Every word."

He had to look closely now and tilt his head a bit to the side, but he could see the faint pink dusting on Vexen's cheeks grow a little deeper.

"I…You're a snake, Marluxia. You're a venomous, gruesome, self-serving snake."

"Oh, really?" Marluxia had to admit, his voice did sound kind of poisonous. But it was the kind of poison that wrapped you in warmth and comfort before killing you tenderly. "Then how come you've finally accepted me? Why did you start calling me by name?"

Vexen's eyes widened. His face was slowly turning white again. Was he really only noticing that for the first time?

"Rrrrgh," he growled, to himself. "It's only because…I know you…well now."

Marluxia nodded. "We know each other. Let's face it, we've spent more time with each other for the past few weeks than we have with anyone else. It's safe."

Vexen sighed, trying to relieve his tension. It only worked halfway. "Fine. Let's just get this over with. You want me to go to sleep, so you can…stare at me again, or whatever it was you were doing?"

Marluxia smiled. "You get the idea. I want to see what happens, if I get the same reaction again. I want to be sure, you know."

Vexen squeezed his lips into a thin line. "Alright," he finally consented. "But you remember what I said…"

"Any other sneak attack, and you will never forgive me for as long as you live, I know. I followed your last order, what makes you think I won't follow this one?"

Vexen was still on edge, and he kept his eyes on Marluxia, even as the fuzzy pink-head followed him to the edge of his cot and watched from behind his bangs as he carefully lowered himself onto it.

Vexen curled up, clutching his pillow, and forced his eyes shut. But it was impossible. There was just no way he could fall asleep knowing that someone was _watching_ him. Marluxia should have known that.

And Marluxia _did _know that. He knew it very well. He waited a few more minutes, making sure that Vexen wasn't going to open his eyes again…and slipped around, silently, breathlessly, to the other side of the cot. Then, without even a whisper of movement, he slipped himself onto the cot next to him.

This steel bed was bigger than the individual beds in each Organization member's room, but it still wasn't built for two people. So immediately, Marluxia nestled closer…sliding his arms up around Vexen's waist.

"…_Iiiiyah_!"

A second later, Marluxia found himself toppling over the side of the bed and slamming, painfully, onto the concrete floor. Vexen shot up, seizing the nearest weapon, which happened to be the pillow, and holding it up, threateningly.

"Errh…" Marluxia carefully crawled up to his knees, rubbing his bruised left side. He gripped the side of the bed to pull himself back up with.

"Wh-What are you _doing_?" Vexen screeched, his face bright red, his eyes wide and wonderfully panicked.

Despite his soreness, Marluxia couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. "Oh. Does that qualify as a sneak attack? I'm sorry."

"You…juh…gih…gaffmmibbiggabbit!" Vexen spluttered, swinging the pillow as if to fend him off.

"Shhhh," Marluxia hissed. He slowly began to crawl upwards, trying to hoist himself back onto the bed. "We were supposed to be _sleeping_, remember?"

"Geddaway!" Vexen cried, bopping him on the head. "I _will_ not…!"

"Oh, hush." Marluxia got his upper half onto the bed now, giving him the most innocent smile he could muster. "I was only trying to get you to relax."

"Relax? _Relax_?" Vexen pulled the pillow back now, using it as a makeshift shield. "How am I supposed to relax with you…with you…!"

Marluxia took the opportunity to crawl a little closer. "Shhhhh," he said again. "Having another warm body hugging you is supposed to be comfortable."

"_Comfortable_?" Vexen squeaked again. He was so panicked and flustered, his voice was cracking. "How could you _think_…? Why would you _want_…?"

Finally, with one more shove, Marluxia managed to get himself sitting at the edge of the bed again. "Shhhhh, now. Vexen, you need to calm down."

Vexen violently shook his head. "I'm not! With you being…how can I…that you would even…twisted little creep! You won't even…just like before…it's _impossible_!"

Marluxia sighed, softly reaching out one arm to him. "Come now. Listen to yourself. You're delirious. All you need to do for me is just relax."

"I won't!" Vexen cried again…and Marluxia knew he would have to take matters into his own hands now. Carefully…prepared…at just the right angle…he pounced.

Vexen shoved the pillow into his face, which looked quite comical, but didn't stop him in the least. Marluxia pushed through…and clamped his arms back around his waist, tackling him back to the mattress.

Suddenly, a little stab began to poke at his fingers, sliding up the sleeves of his coat and biting at his wrists. A soft crackling sound alerted him to what was going on, and when the pillow dropped away from his face, he noticed that a coating of ice was beginning to crawl its way up his arms.

Vexen had turned, scrunching himself up, tensing every muscle of his body, and was…freezing himself. The ice was spreading over his chest and up his arms and around his waist…and by extension, up Marluxia's arms as well. A little spark of panic began to ignite within Marluxia now as well. If any of this broke…!

"Vexen!" he called, desperately. "Calm down! Please!"

It was futile. More and more, he began to encase himself in ice, the sharp, glistening, piercingly cold surfaces sliding into place up to his neck, down to his knees.

Marluxia was left with no choice. He'd anticipated having to do something like this, though he really disliked it. He'd really rather not, but in this situation, it was the only way. Clenching his eyes shut, he managed to move his hand just enough…to release his power.

A small bushel of tiny white flowers burst into being just under Vexen's nose…and almost instantly, some of the ice began to melt.

"Mmnnn," he mumbled, struggling against it…but Marluxia knew it was useless. The ice softened, melting and hissing out of existence over his legs and his chest, as thin little green stems began to grow and twine around in its place, a few more little bunches of flowers popping up here and there.

"Ugh…" Vexen groaned as the flowers worked their magic, spreading and softly enfolding him in their light, tickly embrace.

Finally, the ice melted over Marluxia's arms…but instead of removing them, he squeezed them tighter, moving in closer to Vexen's back, holding him in his warm clutches, just like the spreading little white flowers he commanded.

"Wh-What…?" Vexen could barely speak, his voice almost a whisper. His eyelids fluttered, and he fought to keep them open.

"Shhhh," Marluxia whispered back, into his ear. "It's a valerian plant. Very useful as a natural calming agent. Of course, since it came from me, it's much more powerful than normal. Shhh, now. Go to sleep."

Vexen's body shivered. He tried to fight back against the overwhelming scent, the feel of his muscles involuntarily unclenching and falling slack, almost numb. Suddenly, he was very, _very_ tired, and his eyes couldn't stay open any longer.

"Ihhhhh..." he managed to whisper, even as he felt himself drifting off. "I…hate you…Marluxia." And then, finally, a few seconds later, he fell completely asleep.

Marluxia released the flowers, and they twirled back out of existence in reverse-growth, just leaving him with his arms around the waist of a softly slumbering Vexen. Very gently and carefully, he extricated his arms now, sitting up slightly in the bed to get a good look.

It was there. Even though he'd had to forcibly put him to sleep…that relaxed, peaceful expression was still there. Marluxia smiled. He really was…very pretty like this. It was such a shame that it was so rare.

He slipped off his gloves and caressed his hair a little bit, tenderly, brushing his fingers against his ear. Then…very gently, he leaned closer…pressing his soft lips to his forehead. Vexen didn't even stir. He just continued breathing softly in and out…in and out. He brushed his hair one last time, for good measure.

_Vexen…_he thought, a strange excited but calm nomotional charge running through him. _I will have you. I will unlock all of these secrets of yours. I will get you to relax, just like this…melt away. I will see…your true soul. No matter what I have to do. Because from now on…you're mine._

Marluxia lied down next to him, curling slightly, due to the small size of the bed, and just spent a few moments watching the gentle fluctuation of Vexen's breathing Then, closing his eyes and listening to it with contentment…he gradually drifted off himself, in the pure warmth and bliss of this wonderful moment.

(-)

"Errrr…"

It was around 4:30 in the morning when Vexen woke up. He gradually moved his stiff legs, pulling himself up awkwardly, rubbing his eyes and trying to clear his foggy mind. What…had just happened? He didn't remember going to sleep. He remembered Marluxia trying to get him to go to sleep. He remembered lying down and not being able to sleep…he remembered some kind of struggle. He remembered his body reacting like crazy and going haywire. His nomotions really were getting out of control. Maybe that was why he was so tired.

He moved to push himself to the edge of the bed, and strangely enough, he felt his hand bump into something soft and warm. And fluffy.

Then, finally, looking down in the dim light coming from distant experiment tanks and mini-sunlamps, he found a ball of fluffy hair under his hand…a ball of vaguely pinkish, fluffy hair. His physical-heart skipped a beat.

Marluxia was asleep right next to him, on his back, his limbs squashed awkwardly next to his body. He was snoring, softly and obliviously.

It was all coming back to him now. The hug, the pillow-battle, the ice, the valerian flowers…

Vexen frowned. _I really did kind of overreact. I couldn't even control what I was saying. I really need to make sure I don't panic like that. But considering what I know about him…I was probably thinking too much about that and being paranoid. Again. _

He chuckled, softly, to himself as he looked down at Marluxia. His mouth was open, a little bit of drool seeping out.

_He didn't_. He amazedly thought. _He didn't do anything. He really just…wanted to calm me down. _He didn't remember him touching anything else besides his waist.

Vexen sat up and smiled, secretly, reaching out again and gently ruffling Marluxia's hair. _This isn't so bad…just like this. I could get used to this._

His smiled drooped back down again and he forced his hand away. _This is…impossible. I do not _like_ him. After all he's put me through, there's no reason for me to. _

But he couldn't deny that Marluxia was good-looking. Such a smooth face, with full lips…perfectly symmetrical, as was the ideal. That bright, unruly hair…those blue eyes, slanted and mischievous, dancing with life. Too good-looking for _him_, that was for sure.

Vexen turned away, shaking his head hopelessly and resting it in one hand. It was so quiet, aside from the snoring, and so dark, and he was alone with these confusing thoughts. It was just disturbing, overwhelming, and perplexing, and for once in his Nobody existence, he didn't know what he should do. This entire thing was just snowballing out of his control, and he couldn't stand it. He was lost. And so, he turned to the only thing he could count on in times like these.

Vexen lifted his head to the dull gray ceiling of the lab, but he was looking straight through it, to the endless sky, to the universe…to Kingdom Hearts.

"Even," he spoke, reaching out into it with his mind, to the other world that he knew was out there…and could hear him. "Help me. What have I gotten myself into now…?"


	6. The Liquefaction Process

GOD! I have to apologize again for how long it took me to get this freakin chapter done. I'm really sorry. Somewhere in the middle of writing this chapter, I just had terrible writer's block and lost all motivation to continue. I was having personal issues that I'm still working to get through. But the good news is that it's getting better, and look! It's here! I have Anime Boston partly to thank for reigniting my inspiration. It was amazing, and I thank all the awesome people I met there. If you happened to be there and see me, I was Vexen on Friday and Saturday and Even on Sunday. I've missed writing, I really have. Hopefully, it won't fade out again, because I'm going to Colossalcon in Ohio next!

But on to the actual chapter. It's once again mostly a Vexen chapter, but I've decided that it would be best to focus on one character and one issue at a time, so everything is more streamlined and we aren't jumping all over the place. There will be a lot more on Marluxia/Lumaira next chapter.

Beware the continued fluff and OOCness. This chapter may just melt you into a pile of sugar. I know that's what it did to me.

I'm also using Vexen's GBA laugh, because that was the one that REALLY made me go "wtf?" Yeah. Just imagine THAT going off for about half an hour.

All characters, minus Random Purple-Haired Guy, belong to Square-Enix.

I want to keep this inspiration up! ...But next update definitely won't be until after Colossalcon at the beginning of June.

(-)

Chapter 6: The Liquefaction Process

It felt strange to wake up with all your clothes still on. Marluxia wiggled, uncomfortably, scratching at his thick coat and trying to pull it off…before he remembered just where he actually was.

A living body stirred, slightly, next to him. He glanced over to see a groggy Vexen carefully sitting up and rubbing his eyes, and the events of the previous night came flooding back to him. He smiled. "Good morning, sunshine."

"Shut your pie hole."

Vexen looked different waking up like this. He'd never actually seen it before. His hair was slightly mussed, his eyes droopy.

"Mmmmmnnn," he groaned, burying back into the pillow. "I hate sleeping."

Marluxia raised an eyebrow at him. "Really? It looks like you enjoy it to me. You can't even get up."

"Dat's jus it," Vexen mumbled into the pillow. "Unce I s_tart_ sweeping, I don wanna s_top_."

Marluxia chuckled, teasingly patting him on the head. "That just means you needed it."

"Errrrg…" Reluctantly, Vexen pulled himself up again, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and smoothing down his hair.

"Why do you sleep with your clothes on?" Marluxia asked, just as he was about to get out of bed.

Vexen was tense and stone-faced again as soon as his booted feet touched the ground. He didn't even look at Marluxia as he turned to make up his portion of the bed. "It's just not worth taking the time to change into pajamas."

"Then why not just sleep naked?"

Vexen turned a glare back up at him.

"Or at least in your underwear? I mean, that's what I do. I only didn't last night because I knew you'd have another freak-out."

Vexen tucked the last bit of the mattress cover down and turned away. "That would just be crude and undignified." Marluxia watched as he began to walk away. "I'm not stooping to _your _level."

"But isn't it uncomfortable, sleeping in your cloak like that? I can barely stand it."

What was with all the questions so early in the morning? Vexen was already getting irritated, and it didn't help that he was still tired and desperately needed his morning coffee. "Didn't anyone tell you that our uniforms are formed according to our personal preferences? If yours is uncomfortable in bed, then you must like it that way."

An image from his knowledge on Marluxia suddenly flashed through his mind, and the pickiness at the back of his neck intensified. Determinedly, he pulled away, striding over to a metal supply stand and fishing a comb out of its depths.

"Eh, I suppose that's true." Marluxia crawled to the edge of the bed and watched, with a little tug at his chest, as Vexen began to carefully comb out his long hair. He wanted to brush it so badly…but now wasn't the time for that. He had to keep on track…get him to tell him some more. "I prefer my clothes tight around my chest…it's hard to breathe with it on at night. So I suppose you prefer your clothes overly long?"

Vexen paused, the comb halfway down one clump of hair. Just what was he trying to get at by asking a question like that? He couldn't figure it out. "Well…yes. I prefer to have as much coverage as possible. I like the way it…feels." He hesitated over his own words. Really, why _did_ he always like his sleeves and his coat long like that? He'd never really thought about it before. He supposed he just liked the feel of the long material swishing against him. But there was no _reason_ to. He grumbled under his breath and frustratingly yanked the comb out of his hair again. Was the point of this exercise to make his poor, tired, logical brain short-circuit? …Because it was succeeding.

"That's all there is to it." Vexen slammed down the comb and turned to face his inquisitive pink mop-head, who was still grinning at him from the cot. "Now is that _all_ you have to ask, or are there any other trivial facts that you desperately need to know right now?"

"Just one." Marluxia swung his legs over the edge of the bed, sitting firmly at its lip and staring up into Vexen's cold face. "Who is this 'Even' person? Because you were talking to them a lot last night."

Vexen's mouth dropped open, just a tiny bit. His breath had just been punched out of him again, with shock. "…I thought you were asleep."

Marluxia's devilish grin only widened. "I'm a good actor."

Automatically, Vexen's cheeks began to fire up again. _That means he must've felt…me playing with his head…! _He was going to have to be a _lot _more careful about that. But at least Marluxia was nice enough not to mention it.

Actually, he just really wanted to know who Even was, and he knew that if he mentioned Vexen's actions, they'd just get into an argument about it and never get back around to the subject.

Vexen sighed and forced himself to look away. He didn't really want to tell Marluxia about any of this. It felt too…personal. But he couldn't hide it _now_. He'd been unknowingly backed into a corner yet again. "…Even is my former self. My lighter half. My Other. It's spelled with two E's. Just mix that up and add an X. Simple, really. I should think you would've been able to figure that out."

Marluxia's narrow blue eyes widened slightly with curiosity. "Really…? But…you were talking to him. Like he still exists or something."

"Of course he still exists," Vexen replied, his voice getting slightly snippy. He was just getting sick of explaining all these silly things that shouldn't _need_ explaining. "I'm here, aren't I? I'm a part of him."

Marluxia fell silent. He turned his gaze downward, looking into the shape of his own two legs, his fingers pressing into the white sheets. He was thinking about Lumaira. It was…really, really strange. He'd never thought of Lumaira like that. Thinking about him as still existing…even in the here and now. His mind was reeling. He certainly didn't think of Lumaira as _himself_…he thought of him as a previous emanation of himself. A previous life, a past identity, something over with, dead and gone. To think about him as still _here_…enough to _talk_ to him… It just didn't seem right.

_What does that…really mean? _Marluxia suddenly found himself wondering. A tiny bit of panic was shooting through his system…at the very least, it was getting quite uncomfortable. _Does that mean… If I had a heart…if I somehow managed to obtain a heart, through Kingdom Hearts or otherwise, does that mean I'd _become _Lumaira? That I'd turn back into him? I don't want to turn back into him! I always just thought…I'd still be Marluxia…just with a heart. _

Vexen watched his long, reeling silence with a bit of interest. It was kind of fun sometimes, making his poor little mind spin with possibilities. But it had even taken him a moment to understand what was going on. He kept forgetting that _his_ personal experiences were different. Different from everyone else's in the whole Organization, actually, except maybe for Xemnas's.

"I know…" he finally spoke. "You don't think about it that way. You'd never even considered it that way before. You don't _want_ to think about it that way. But that's because you never knew yours."

Marluxia felt his physical-heart beat a little heavily then, inside his chest. He looked up, at last, and the whole mystery of it all was leaving him breathless as he looked back to Vexen's enigmatic face.

"Most everyone else doesn't, either, so there's nothing to be ashamed of. I'm the only one, really, that remembers…"

Marluxia waited, torturously, as Vexen slowly nodded, bringing one hand to his chest, as if brushing symbolically against the hollow heart-space in his body.

"I'm the only one who remembers being inside of my Other's heart…before I consumed it. He used to be able to hear me speaking to him. And we could communicate. I know him personally."

Marluxia's eyes widened even further. He was looking at Vexen now in another light…a new, unbelievable revelation…and he couldn't even breathe. It was like the door to some new, mysterious, deeper beyond was slowly opening before him.

Vexen harrumphed and crossed his arms, dispelling some of that atmosphere of mystery. "Of course, now, I don't know if Even really can hear me, from wherever he is. But I still like to talk to him sometimes, in case he can, and he is just incapable of replying. It's a little ridiculous, really, but it's just like a ritual to me. Nothing special."

_Nothing special? _Marluxia was absolutely stunned. When he'd begun asking Vexen about Even, he'd figured they'd eventually get off on some imaginary-friend teasing and bickering…he'd never imagined _this_. Suddenly, he was a little jealous. He wished _he'd_ had that kind of connection to his Other…maybe he'd understand him better. Thinking he might, someday, be able to communicate with him…that there was another person with him, possibly this very second…

Meanwhile, Vexen's mind whirled, trying to come up with some way of getting off this subject, and quickly. Talking about this…even _thinking _about this was difficult, and he didn't want to reveal anything more about it. His conversations with Even were deeply personal and very important to him. Sometimes, he would tell Even things that he'd never in a million years tell anyone else. He was like his secret, personal confidant. Thank all that was holy in this universe that he hadn't told him anything of that nature last night! He made a quick mental note to never try talking to Even again while Marluxia was still anywhere in the general vicinity.

"It's ten o' clock," he announced, succinctly turning to retrieve a stack of reports for his latest project and beginning to calmly flip through them.

No response. Wow…amazing. Vexen wished he could stun him like this more often.

"It's ten o' clock," he repeated, this time a little louder, glancing up at Marluxia's stricken, slightly paled face. "I suppose I'm not getting any breakfast today?"

"Ah-!" Marluxia finally snapped out of his trance at "breakfast". He pressed one hand to his forehead, lifting his hair slightly and giving Vexen a rare view of his full face. "N-No! No, I have to go get breakfast! Wait here."

Vexen watched him, curiously, as he awkwardly made his way through the lab, not even bothering to fix his rumpled cloak or extra-frizzly hair. He was certainly going to be an interesting sight for everyone else at the mess hall now.

_I need to get started on that darned favorite-food project_, Marluxia resented. _If I had stuff in my garden now, I could just go get it there and fix it up here. _An image of himself flipping pancakes over a Bunsen burner suddenly flashed through his mind. _Or maybe not. I spend way too much time in this stupid lab as it is._

"Don't you dare forget my coffee this time!" Vexen called after him. "It's your fault I'm all groggy in the first place!"

"Yes, sir," Marluxia replied, in a groan. At least, this way, he could pretend he hadn't slept much last night and explain away his unkempt appearance. This felt so strangely like a morning-after, even though nothing at all had happened.

But as Marluxia's slightly wobbly form disappeared past the large metal lab door, Vexen fished out his attraction research clipboard from where he'd stashed it under a test tube rack. "May become overly curious about object's personal history", he added, in his typical doctor's scrawl. "To the extent that other important appointments are forgotten."

(-)

Marluxia made the "favorite food" project his current priority that very night. To Vexen, though, it fit right in with his current "inquisitive" symptoms, and so he didn't mind telling him everything he liked. As difficult as it was, Marluxia refrained from saying or doing anything more to upset him…besides forcing him to go to sleep, as always.

Things weren't going so well lately. The emotional energy facsimiles were giving Vexen a lot of trouble, and he was constantly frustrated with their lack of progress. He'd tried just about every method he could think of for constructing them, but they always somehow dissolved or flew apart. Not even the first one was complete.

It was currently being stored in a round container that looked like some kind of high-security goldfish bowl, immersed in clear gel. The facsimile itself resembled a tiny jade green bead, though it wasn't solid, and if anyone tried to touch it, it would squish and pour apart.

Marluxia remembered, with distaste, how long it had taken for Vexen to even get it to keep its shape and all of its material together. However, his tests on it had indicated that it was missing some crucial element…presumably the one that would make it active. For now, it was just sitting uselessly in its gel—the empty husk, the dead body of something that should be alive.

The others were proving even more difficult. Plus, the Replica Project was also at an apparent standstill, since all Vexen had been doing for it recently was continuing to siphon his life force. Needless to say, he was acting snippier lately than he had been, especially since he blamed Marluxia for most of it.

"If _you_ would just let me work through the night once or twice, maybe I'd actually be able to get something done!" he accused.

"And if you'd just been on a regular sleep schedule beforehand, you wouldn't even be having these problems," Marluxia rationalized. "You'd be able to work just as efficiently without all this coffee and junk."

Vexen usually came up with some other excuse and tossed the blame back at him, and they went at it for half an hour.

"You should take a break," Marluxia suggested, more than once. "Clear your head, get out of this stuffy lab. Come back to my garden for a little bit."

The look Vexen shot back at him clearly read, "No way in Hell am I setting foot in that infernal place again."

It was kind of disappointing. He'd hoped to one day get to see him relaxing amongst his flowers…lying in a soft bed of bluebells.

_Maybe this is a wasted effort_, Marluxia despaired one night as he was tending his newborn miniature cucumber patch—one of Vexen's favorite vegetables. _I'm putting so much work into getting him for my own. I should be working on something else, like…raising my internal rank within the Organization. But hearts are the strongest source of power here…everyone covets them, everyone would fall under one who had the means of procuring hearts. And right now, Vexen is my most direct means of obtaining that power. _

Of course, by now, Marluxia knew that he'd probably still come down to the lab on his own even if it weren't for that…even if it weren't for the contractual serum.

"Hey, why don't you just take this chemical thing out of us now?" he'd thought to ask once. "You know I'd come down here every night on my own, now; you don't have to force me."

"That may be true," Vexen replied, still working on something, as always, and not looking at him. "But I think it's best if I hang onto it…just in case."

_Does he think I'm going to run off on him or something? _

Vexen's crankiness lasted for nearly a week. He wouldn't even let Marluxia touch his hair again.

Still…at least it was satisfying, after the cucumbers were fully grown, to watch Vexen accept the cucumber salad he'd made for him without one word of protest. He really had some weird tastes, though…including broccoli, guava fruit, stewed cauliflower, and blueberry soup. Blueberries in _soup_? Just the thought of it made Marluxia's stomach turn. But Vexen ate it up like it was ice cream, and at least now he didn't have to listen to him whine and complain about the food he brought him.

But then… At last, one evening…something amazing happened, while Marluxia was grudgingly cleaning out the Heartless cages.

He'd been lost in thought while he wiped the sticky black gunk out of the cage walls with a soft cloth, trying to figure out how to get this thing to _move on_ already. He'd already tried pestering Vexen about the attraction research and lamenting the fact that it was getting nowhere and that he had such a willing subject right in front of him, but Vexen just brushed him aside, saying that this was more important now, that he had to concentrate and he couldn't have that "distracting" him any more.

_I should make something up_, Marluxia concocted. _Say that the attraction has gotten much deeper, and that…but that's kinda sort of true. Then I'll lie and say the attraction has disappeared completely! I'll say it's disappeared completely because he's barely been paying attention to me lately. …But he'll probably be able to figure out that I'm lying. _

Marluxia reached into the cage that contained the small Blizzard Plant, and it complacently nuzzled against his fingers. It was really attached to him for some reason. Since its creation, Vexen had created larger copies of it and apparently set them loose in the world, to reproduce and develop on their own. The only other element that had been able to merge with the initial flower Heartless had been fire, forming a cantankerous Fire Plant in the cage next to it. Conversely, the Fire Plant hated Marluxia, and it always tried to singe his gloves whenever he so much as pointed at it.

"Hey, Blizzy," he whispered to the Blizzard Plant as it lovingly nipped at the end of his sleeve. "How am I supposed to clean your cage when you're all over me like that?"

Of course, "Blizzy" didn't pay attention at all and proceeded to try to wind its stem around his arm. It took a good five minutes just to wipe the back of the cage. Marluxia sighed as he closed its bars again, watching as Blizzy banged its head on them, trying to follow him. Somehow, the little ice-flower Heartless always reminded him of Vexen, even though it was a heck of a lot friendlier…and it again reminded him of his dilemma.

Vexen was once again off in his little study corner, bent over a metal desk, with his experimentation gear on, dead to the world. He was concentrating intensely on the tiny bead in its gel-jar, doing something with electric needles. The scowl twisting his face looked practically painful…it was oddly out of place with his cute little ponytail. His goggles magnified his squinty eyes.

Marluxia sighed. He wasn't kidding himself, actually…the attraction _was_ kind of waning. His body had absolutely no reaction to this.

Vexen carefully moved the needles a little bit and cocked his head, scribbling down a few observations.

Really, Marluxia didn't mind him being all concentrated and scientific…sometimes he even liked to watch him work…but this was getting ridiculous. He groaned and resigned himself to the fact that he was going to have to slog through the rest of this day as usual.

His eyes lifted, towards the Fire Plant, rattling against the next cage, dreading any interactions he was going to have with it. He sucked in his breath and reluctantly began to reach up for the cage's latch…but before he could lay a finger on it, suddenly, an ear-splitting shriek tore through the silence.

Marluxia jumped with a little shot of adrenaline and instantly whirled around towards its source.

Vexen had jumped straight up from his previously crouched position over the table…his arms tucked in towards his chest, his eyes wide with shock, his face red with effort.

"…_Eeeeeeeeeeee_!" he shrieked again, jumping a little, punching his fists to the side. "_Eeeeee_, yah!" And then…to Marluxia's utter amazement…Vexen began to dance.

He hopped around in circles, twisting his body back and forth, pumping his fists, clapping his hands, shaking his hips, throwing his arms out, ripping the goggles from his face and twirling them around with one arm, then throwing them away and hopping back and forth from foot to foot, arms out for balance, grinning with apparent glee.

In the meantime, Marluxia crept closer and closer, intrigued by this strange new mood change out of nowhere. A smile inadvertently formed on his own face as he watched. _Well. Problem solved. _

Vexen didn't even notice him…he'd apparently forgotten he was still there at all. Marluxia reached the edge of the other side of the desk the same time Vexen turned his back, slapping his thighs and launching into something that vaguely resembled the Macarena. One of Marluxia's signature grins slid over his lips. "…Having fun there, Mr. Scientist?"

"-AAAUGH!" Vexen turned enormous, panicked eyes to him, screaming, turning and slipping mid-hop, his body tumbling to the concrete with a painful thump, papers flying up into the air around him.

A chuckle bubbled out of Marluxia's throat as he moved around the desk, peering down to view the damage. "Need a hand?"

Vexen's eyes were still stretched round, showing the whites on all sides, his face bright, his ponytail slipping out, as he sat in a messed heap on the floor. "_W-w-w-w-w-where did you come from_?"

"I've been here for the past hour and a half—where have you been?"

Vexen turned his face downwards, eyeing the pile of scattered papers he'd landed in. His body was all shaky from the force of the shock, his poor physical-heart pounding against his ribcage. This time, Marluxia _had_ almost given him a heart attack. He'd been completely certain that he was all alone in the laboratory. If he'd known, he would've never done _that_. And now _he _had seen it. Vexen tucked his head even further down, shamefully. He should have had more control over his bodily reactions than that. Especially ones as useless and moronic as _that_.

Slowly, he pulled himself up to his knees, his face falling back into its usual frown. "…" Somehow, he couldn't say anything. Usually, at times like these, he'd make up something to explain it away, something to brush it off as nothing, maybe throwing in a few digs about Marluxia's intelligence. But there was nothing…nothing he could think of could attempt to explain _this_. He hated himself, both for being unable to explain and for doing something so stupid in the first place.

"Now where were we?" Marluxia teased, raising his arms and positioning them in front of his chest just like Vexen had. "Something a little like this…" He moved them in and out, then to the side, wiggling his butt a little, sticking one knee out.

"Oh, shut up." Vexen found his voice again as soon as he'd started making fun of him. He firmly lifted himself back to full height, yanking his hair out of its messy ponytail. "Don't be ridiculous."

"No, no, by all means, don't let me stop you!" Marluxia began to dance in place on his own now, baiting him. "It was just getting good! C'mon, now…"

Vexen deliberately scowled. "Stop that nonsense. There's no need of it."

"Really?" Marluxia rolled his fists, taking a few steps backwards. "Then why were _you_ doing it? Surely, _you _never do _anything_ there's no need for. You never do _anything_ just for the fun of it, because you don't _have _fun."

Vexen's eyes followed, in irritation, as Marluxia twirled up close to his side.

"C'mon, Vexen, dance with me!"

He tsk-ed softly and turned his head away again, his curtain of hair falling over his face. "Not a chance in Hell."

"But that looked like fun! C'mon, dance, Vexen!" Marluxia grabbed his hands now, before he even knew it, forcing his fingers through his, and started pushing them in and out as he danced in place. Vexen only frowned deeper.

Marluxia swung his arms out wide, then swung them back in, until they were almost at eye-level. "Dance, snowflake, dance!"

With a little snarl of distaste, Vexen finally ripped his hands away. "That's enough, Marluxia."

"No. No, I don't think it is." Marluxia wouldn't give it up. He was seriously enjoyment-deprived, after all. "You won't dance with me, and I'm insulted. No one turns me down like that and gets away with it."

"Mar_luxia_, that's _enough_!" Vexen finally reached out and forcefully pinned his arms down to his sides, as if he were scolding a child for being too rambunctious. "I admit that I was dancing, if that's what you want—I had forgotten that you were still here. It's funny, I know, it's probably hilarious to you, but I won't do it ever again in your presence."

Marluxia took a moment to compose himself. The tone in Vexen's voice now told him it was time to be deadly serious. "Why not?" He was truly curious. After all, it wasn't like they could actually feel the embarrassment or the joy or the humor. There was no real reason to do it, but there was no real reason _not _to do it either.

Vexen shot him a "wow, you're really dumb if you can't even figure out something this obvious" look. "Because it's ridiculous. You would use it to belittle me and make light of me and would think less of me for it."

Marluxia fell silent, thinking, as Vexen slowly eased up on him, letting him out of his grasp again. It still didn't make sense to him. "No…no, I wouldn't." _Well, maybe I would make light of him with it…but I don't think less of him…at all. _

Vexen paused in his step back towards the table.

"In fact, I think I probably think _more_ of you."

Vexen raised an eyebrow, incredulously.

"You've been doing nothing but working for the past week or so, and it just suddenly got me really excited to see that. Lately, you've been showing me that…there's more to you than just science, and I…like that."

Vexen blinked. _That's why…all that questioning… _

He shrugged. "It's just uncomfortable. My body stiffens up if I try to do something like that in front of someone else. Even was cripplingly shy, you know, and his rampant anxiety is ingrained in my being."

Marluxia nodded a little. "Makes sense." _It's that guardedness. That automatic defense mechanism. But I'm going to take care of that. _

His attention turned to follow Vexen's gaze as he focused on the table. "So what was that all about, anyway?"

Finally, Vexen cracked a crazy little grin. "The emotional energy facsimile…it's complete!"

Marluxia glanced over with widened eyes to see the little green bead-ball bouncing slowly up and down in its container of gel. "Um…okay."

Vexen gestured to it, proudly. "What we have here is pure, concentrated, solidified, fake anger in a bottle."

"We have pretend rage in a bottle," Marluxia echoed, blandly. "Fascinating."

"It _is_!" Vexen snapped back at him. "A feat like this has never before been accomplished in the history of this universe's scientific knowledge. Even if it's only a model…" He gently reached out his hands, cupping them around his precious little container of fake anger. "This is the first step. Just think of this as one piece of a model heart. Finally…finally, finally, it's complete!" Vexen squeezed his eyes shut, his body twitching slightly as he reined in his reactionary excitement. "I can't believe it."

Carefully, Marluxia snaked one finger forward and brushed it against his left bang, catching a bit of his surprisingly warm cheek along with it. Vexen was too pleased with himself to mind. "Congratulations. Does this mean we can move on now?"

"…Yes." Vexen didn't seem to really know what Marluxia was talking about. "We can get started on the next one…the next piece of the puzzle. …I'm going to have you fetching the ingredients and organizing the data sheets again."

Marluxia smiled a little. "That's fine. And we can get back to the attraction research too."

"Yes, that too."

Marluxia could almost feel the tiny unknotting in Vexen's shoulder as just one little layer of his icy defense dissipated. He squeezed his hand, gently massaging that shoulder a little. It immediately re-froze, and Vexen shuddered out of his touch.

"You were cleaning the Heartless cages, weren't you? Are you finished?"

"No." Marluxia crossed his arms. "I'm not going near that Fire Plant. It's going to ignite my coat sleeve, and before you know it, this whole laboratory would go up in flames."

Vexen glared straight back at him, challengingly. "Well, you had better find a way of calming it down so that you can finish your job. Use your silly flower affinity. If you can't handle one little Heartless, I shudder to think of your performance on Organization-monitored missions."

Marluxia's eyes flickered. "I am quite well on Organization missions, thank you. You're the one who apparently can't handle them, since you never have any."

"No, it's just that Superior knows that my considerable talents would be best spent on something more worthwhile."

"Right, of course." Marluxia slowly made his way back to the cages, trying to delay this task for as long as possible. "Do you ever set foot outside this prison compound—I mean laboratory?"

"Stop trying to extend the conversation." Vexen crossed his arms and lightly tapped one foot. Darn. Sometimes, it was almost like he could see straight through him. Either that, or Vexen just didn't want to admit that he really never _did _leave the laboratory, except for required things like meetings.

Marluxia planted his hands on his hips. "Alright then, you might be sorry…"

And as he reluctantly stepped closer to the cage, part of him really wanted to do it…to set this whole place on fire, just to get rid of it. See what Vexen would do without his precious hideaway spot…without the Replicas existing anymore, to sap his life force. What would he be without his research, without his projects, without his comforting dimly-lit concrete home?

He imagined him just fading at the sight of it…blowing away in puffs of Darkness, curling out of sight. And that thought alone is what kept him from considering it any further.

(-)

Vexen could not believe what he was doing. That night, he was writing up a note sheet in the attempt to sort out his own confusion. Never before had he been so confused about something that he'd had to sit down and write about it. Fortunately, Marluxia wasn't here anymore, so he could do it in peace. He'd had to swear on the lives of his Replicas—which were more important than his own life, of course—that he'd get to bed by 2AM, and he'd had to threaten to put him in the ice-chair again to finally get him to leave, but at last, it was worth it. Now, he wouldn't have to worry about talking to himself—or talking to Even—while he tried to put his thoughts into the appropriate words.

"Hmmm…"

He'd already written "Liking XI?" towards the center.

"But I don't _like_ him," he told himself. "He gets on my nerves. Quite literally. He makes me all jumpy and less composed." He jotted that down quickly while he thought.

_But I shouldn't be. If I'm personally involved with my own subject, that would make any of my observations on him null and void, because they would undoubtedly be biased. But then, hating him would actually create a _negative_ bias. I need to be entirely indifferent to him. …That's impossible with him…being the way he is. _

Vexen scratched a little bit with his pencil, absently. _But apparently, he likes me. Though that's purely a physical thing. It's purely a hair thing, really. It's only my hair he likes. He'd have no use for me if he could just chop off all my hair and carry it around with him. He's obsessed with power and controlling me. Which is seen in the way he always has to control my sleeping patterns, what and when I eat. And recently, he needs to know everything else about me, possibly so he can control that too. _He'd already written up something like that in his attraction research log.

Vexen stared into the mostly blank page, with concentration. Somehow, he thought, that knowledge…should give him an angry signal. According to everything else he had documented, human beings hated being controlled by other human beings. But somehow, he didn't…_mind_ the fact that Marluxia was controlling him, to small degrees.

_It's…not bad_, he thought. _He even went out of his way to make the things I told him I liked to eat…it's not like he continued forcing me to eat things I despised. And he always disguises it as concern for my well-being. …Even if it is false, it's…nice. _Vexen's eyes narrowed and he scribbled a note down on that point as well.

He looked up slightly from his work, speaking to his Other again. "I mean…I know you had…but Marluxia is so…_pink_. Though he does have an appropriate body. And it's never happened with me before. It's difficult, you know that."

There was no answer, of course, but he knew Even understood. Vexen sighed and jotted down another short note. This sheet wasn't really helping at all, aside from giving little boosts to his thought process.

At last, he wrote down his one coherent, absolutely true thought. "Being involved with Marluxia will spell disaster."

"_We know each other well now"…that's true. Marluxia…as much as he irritates me…as much as he may be using me…he's the closest one to me now. It's…almost more comfortable…being myself around him. Even after he saw my stupid dance today, he didn't reject me. He didn't lose all interest in me. He's the closest thing I have now to…a friend._

Vexen shivered a bit. He didn't like thinking about Marluxia that way…as something…_good_…as someone who was really just looking out for him. He thought back to the last time Even had ever felt something akin to love for someone. That had been a disaster. He thought back to Aeleus, whom Even had considered a friend. They barely spoke to each other outside of work…though Vexen had been able to see that Aeleus had really cared about Even, even though Even didn't believe it. Xehanort…well, Xehanort had been close to Even, though neither of them really thought of him as a friend.

_He's a friend, _Vexen finally decided, though his teeth were grinding against the notion. _Marluxia is a big part of my life now, and I can't undo that. I don't necessarily want to either. _

Vexen took in a deep breath…and ripped the sheet of notes to shreds. There was no sense in keeping such sloppy and disorganized pontifications. Really, nothing had been accomplished during all of this…except that Vexen was now halfway convinced that Marluxia was his friend…and that he didn't have to be quite _so_ guarded around him all the time. He should really give it some more in-depth thought.

But for now, it was almost 1:30, and he had to keep his promise and go to bed.

(-)

_This was absolutely wonderful. Even had never before felt so light…so free. He couldn't believe it…someone was actually being nice to him…wasn't treating him like a little kid or fretting about him or laughing at him or asking him probing questions. They were just…there. Here. In the middle of the Radiant University Field…sledding. _

_He laughed out loud as his body careened down the central hill, spilling ungracefully out into the snow. A twenty-year-old young man with short purple hair came gliding down next to him, also laughing. This was so…_fun_. Even hadn't had this much fun in quite a while. He never wanted it to end. _

"_Haha," his classmate chuckled. "Sometimes spilling is the best part, isn't it?" _

"_Yeah," Even giggled back, his cheeks rosy with the cold, his chin-length hair spread around his face. _

_Everyone else always either avoided him or fussed over him. At fourteen years of age, he was the youngest person to ever attend Radiant U. And yet, for the first time since he'd come here, he was actually having a good time. He had…his first real friend here. He couldn't even feel the cold as the wet snow surrounded him, squishing up the sleeves of his coat and down his boots…because inside, he felt so warm. _

_His purple-haired friend got up off his sled and crouched over his spot. "Hey, Even," he spoke, playfully ruffling his hair. "Are you going to lie there all day or are we going to get back up there and try it again?" _

_Even looked back up into his friendly face and a wonderful feeling shuddered through him…something he'd never experienced before. "Hee," he giggled, pulling himself back into a sitting position. "Okay."_

_He smiled, looking back into the face of his friend…and suddenly…it looked absolutely stunning like that. Smiling, a tiny bit lopsided, falling snowflakes catching in fluffed purple locks. _

_And then, Even suddenly felt something. It was something new to him…but he knew what it was. He'd studied all about it after all. His cheeks flushed an even deeper shade of red. His friend held out a hand, offering to help him up…but he couldn't take it. His mind was too confused…too scared. _

This isn't supposed to happen…I can't…I'm not…but it is…but I'm not…I don't want to be…but…

_And when he finally looked up into his face again, without any warning, his eyes flew open…and his abilities activated. He saw…he saw it all. Everything down this path. _

_He saw himself kissing him, he saw his shocked and fearful face, he saw himself explaining, he saw him leaving, he saw himself following him everywhere. He saw him yelling, complaining to the school, calling his mother. He saw himself crying, hiding in his room, deliberately hurting himself, his grades slipping, his councilors getting on his case, pain, oh, the pain. _

_All the color drained from Even's face, his eyes widened further, his body stiffened until he was a statue, as the visions continued to flash before his eyes. _

_He saw his mother withdrawing him from the school, screaming, crying, he saw her yelling the most hurtful things at him, wishing he'd never been born, that his genius was nothing if he couldn't even be a respectable human being, He saw her…banishing him from the house, sending him off to an orphanage, destroying every document she could that ever claimed he was her son. He saw himself crying, hurting, wishing he was dead. _

_Even screamed as the pain tore through him, twisting and wringing his heart, and everything else was gone—the happiness, the desire…the love. _

_He saw himself…hanging himself…on a pipe in the orphanage basement, his thin, ragged body swinging lifelessly in the grayness. _

_Finally, he managed to force his eyes shut as the visions warped back out of sight. His body shuddered and shivered with terror, small beads of sweat beginning to roll down his face and neck, freezing in the cold bitterness. _

"_Even?" The purple-haired young man said, his face soft with concern. "Are you okay? Should I take you to the office?" _

"_N-n-no!" Even screamed again, his eyes still tightly clenched shut. He couldn't look again—he knew he couldn't even chance to look at him again. He had to. He had to get away. He had to get away from this young man…he could never see him again. If he wanted to prevent that terrifying vision…that future from occurring, he couldn't even look at him. _

_Even got up, on trembling knees, and the guy was about to reach out to steady him, but he shuddered out of the way. _

"_Even…?" he softly questioned. _

_And with that, Even bolted from his spot, running in the opposite direction as fast as he could. _

"_Even!" the guy called after him, but he wouldn't allow himself to stop for even one second._

_Tears flew from Even's cheeks as he ran through the snow, the cold air burning his lungs. But the excruciating visions were still vivid in his memory, and so he ran and ran, away from him…away from them. Never again, he told himself. Never, ever again. No one could ever find out... And so he ran and ran, not even knowing where he was going…but never, ever looking back. _

(-)

_It was around two o' clock, as usual, when Even fell asleep at his desk, smushing his cheek into the hard tan cover of a book. Papers surrounded his spread arm, a few printed charts threatening to slip off onto the floor. He hadn't gotten much sleep last night, and that was unsurprising. He hadn't meant to fall asleep—he'd just figured he'd rest his head for a few minutes, because his eyelids were getting so heavy, and his focus was faltering. It wouldn't do any good to sit there blanking out for minutes on end. He didn't realize he'd nodded off until an hour later, when something cold and wet poked at his exposed nose. _

"_Mmmph," he mumbled, drowsily. It poked him again, dribbling a few tiny cool drops down the side of his nose. Finally, Even snapped awoke, sitting up in his seat and looking around for the source of the cold, damp thing. His heavy eyelids raised in surprise. _

_Little blue-haired Ienzo was staring up at him, still in his baggy white lab coat. And he was holding two blue bars of slowly melting sea-salt ice cream in his hands. "…" Slowly, carefully, he held one out to him. "…Master Ansem gave them to me," he spoke in a quiet, innocent voice. "This one's for you." _

_Even was utterly stunned. He'd been mentoring Ienzo for a few weeks now, and the boy hardly said anything at all. He was quiet, yet attentive, asking questions when he was confused about something, and following his directions to the letter. Even had to admit, he was very, very bright for a boy his age. He praised his work after every session…though Ienzo never had any response. For some reason, he wasn't able to see anything surrounding him either…not his past, not his future. Sometimes, he wondered if there would ever be anything more than a strictly business relationship between them._

_Even had decided, a very long time ago, to never love anyone again. He would never let anyone get so close to him…it was far too dangerous, and he could get terribly hurt…he didn't want to hurt anymore. He'd tried to freeze himself over, make himself entirely numb on the inside. A scientist couldn't afford to become too emotionally attached to things anyway. _

_But here…right now…looking into Ienzo's timid, hopeful face…he felt his frozen heart slowly melting. A wondrous, soft affection was blossoming in the center of his chest. He smiled, warmly, for the first time in almost a year. Gently, he reached out to accept the ice cream from him. "Why…thank you very much, Ienzo." _

_Ienzo's fears visibly faded away from his face, leaving a pleased little smile. "Y-You're welcome. I…figured you needed a break." _

_Even chuckled, lightly…like he hadn't in almost a year and a half. "That I definitely did. It's a good thing you woke me up before I ended up with a permanent book mark on my face!" _

_Ienzo giggled softly. _

_Even felt so…happy right now. Joy was slowly filling him, and it just felt so good… It felt so good…to be cared about, and to care in return. _

_Though one small part of his brain was throwing up warning signs, afraid of being hurt by this somehow…what if, in a few months, they got into an argument and Ienzo ran away from him? What if he yelled things to him…that he hated him, that he never wanted to be taught by him in the first place, that he never wanted to see him again? _

_But for now, he was just so happy, he didn't care. He allowed himself…to hope. _

_He quickly licked his ice cream and got to his feet. "Come on," he proposed, holding out his other hand. "Let's go out to the courtyard. We'll take a break together." _

_Ienzo smiled again…and took his hand. _

_And so…they did. They had a happy little break together, sitting on one of the garden benches side by side, just licking their ice creams and enjoying each other's company. It was a beautiful, treasured memory…and one that in time…Even would come to regret. _

(-)

Ah. Things were getting back to…well, not _normal_, none of this had ever been normal…but at least _settled_.

The next day, Marluxia had an innate sense that nothing was in danger. He was sleeping in his own bed now, since the "I like watching you sleep" excuse wouldn't work on Vexen any longer…and besides, he didn't think he'd be able to take another night of sleeping with his clothes on. And at least now he didn't have to endure the uncomfortable atmosphere of the mess hall anymore, since he was nearly always gathering food from his garden in the morning and bringing it down to the lab. Also…he'd begun growing a few other special things in there… Marluxia eyed one particularly large wooden stalk as he passed by it to the French toast bush (of course, with his powers, he'd be able to grow French toast on bushes). But before he packed everything up to bring it down, he decided to grab a little something extra.

Marluxia made his way down to the basement, carefully ducking into a corridor to avoid Xaldin, who was heading up to the Grey Area. He was getting to be quite good at evasion tactics…Saïx had even noticed it in his recent mission performance. Once the brawny Nobody had passed, Marluxia slipped out to the stairway again and continued on his way.

Gradually, his mind began to wander. He'd been thinking about his Other a lot lately. He still couldn't stand Lumaira…he hated the way he'd acted, the things he'd done…or _not_ done. But still, he could understand him. Somehow, he could feel the connection…this was possibly the only kind of feeling a Nobody could do. He could feel something in his body…this kinesthetic energy connecting it to Lumaira's. Sometimes he wanted to…break into one of his dances. The urge had been especially strong when he'd seen Vexen dancing. He'd wanted to do one of his dances…one of his routines. But doing something like that in front of Vexen might cause him to stop talking to him for a month…especially if he directed it towards him, which is what would unquestionably happen.

Still, a part of him was almost…envious. He wished he had a relationship with Lumaira like Vexen had with Even. The previous night, he'd tried to talk to him in the same way…but it was just…_empty._ It was so fake and forced—he gave up after only a few sentences.

"Pfft," he'd muttered. "Look at me talking to myself like some kind of mental patient."

But Vexen didn't sound anything like a mental patient when he talked to Even.

_Forget it_, he tried to tell himself. _It's never going to happen to me. I don't have the…IQ for it, or whatever it is Vexen has that I don't. …I wonder if I'd be able to _get_ that… Heh, well, if it's IQ, I'm sure not spending hours reading stupid math books to increase it._

"….Gah!"

Speaking of books… Marluxia was so deep in thought, he didn't even notice someone else moving towards him in the dim light of the basement corridor. With a jolt of shock, he nearly slammed right into Zexion, the dark-haired teen emerging from the shadows, three hefty books tucked under one arm.

Marluxia stumbled back, keeping a steady grip on the box of breakfast. Dammit. He hadn't been anticipating this at all. Zexion had never been down here before, at least not in the morning. He usually went to breakfast with Lexaeus, then hung around the Gray Area for a bit, then if he didn't have any missions, he'd hide himself away in the library to read or sit out on one of the balconies, practicing his conjuring. Marluxia's eyes flickered to the side, but he knew it was far too late to try to hide—besides, his hair would stick out, even in this darkness.

Zexion's one visible eye blinked curiously at him. "Number Eleven…? What are you doing down here?"

"Oh…" Fortunately, Marluxia's brain worked quickly enough to whip up a good excuse. "I was charged to deliver some apparent materials to the second basement laboratory." He shook the box in his arms a little, for emphasis. "If not for this task, I wouldn't have even come near this dull, rank little cave of yours."

Zexion slightly raised his eyebrow, but continued on, lightly stepping past him. "Well, if that is all, it would be best for you to finish it quickly and get back to the mess hall."

"I hate that accursed mess hall almost as much," Marluxia sniffed. "Everyone knows I've stopped eating there, because I simply can't stand it. It's much too cold and bleak. I'd rather take meals in my own setting."

Zexion paused a second, as if he was going to say something…then thought better of it and resumed his stride. "…Just make sure you're not wasting anything."

And before Marluxia could process this statement and respond, he'd disappeared back down the end of the hall.

_Hmph_, Marluxia mentally huffed, turning away from the sight and resuming his trek to the lab. _What's that supposed to mean? _Really, he'd wanted to ask what _he _was doing here—Zexion never came down to the library this early in the morning. The question was still lingering on his mind, even as he slid himself through the lab doors and looked around the familiar, cluttered room.

Vexen was already awake, naturally, tapping away at the keyboard of the far-left computer. "Good morning," he spoke, with all the cheerfulness of a half-dead hound dog. "You're a few minutes late."

"Zexion almost caught me outside," Marluxia explained, depositing the box on a table and sweeping all of its excess papers away. "I wasn't expecting him to be here this early."

"Oh, yes. He came in earlier to borrow a few books from my stores." Vexen automatically slid out of his seat and made his way to the table, as Marluxia set things out per routine. He sat, complacently, and bit into a proffered cracker as if this was the most natural thing in the world.

Marluxia glared deliberately at him as he took his seat, as if to say "and why didn't you _warn_ me?"

"Hmm," Vexen mumbled. He finally noticed and met his eyes with a droopy, indifferent gaze. "Oh. Yes, he does that sometimes. I didn't tell you, did I?"

"He could've found out about our…meetings!" Marluxia cried. "That you and I are doing something! He would've told Xemnas! Why does this not concern you?"

Vexen scooped a small cooked egg into a bowl and began to eat it. "….I don't care."

_This is really odd…_ Marluxia just watched Vexen a little closer…and noticed his slower movements, his drooping eyes, the dark splotches below them a little darker.

"_Vexen_!" He shot up from the table, crossing his arms. Vexen's shocked-open eyes followed him. "You didn't sleep last night! Don't try to deny it—I can tell! And after you _promised_!"

"No, no, I did." Vexen dropped his fork and raised his hands a little, trying to explain. "I just couldn't. I went to bed before two—but I woke up two hours later and couldn't get back to sleep."

Marluxia tightened his glare.

"Honestly, that's the truth. You see this, right? I wouldn't be this tired if I hadn't slept at all." He struggled to suppress a yawn.

Marluxia grumbled a little. He hated having to concede, but it did make sense. He plunked back down into his seat, uneasily. "Take a nap later," he commanded.

"A nap? I don't have time to be taking naps."

"Take a nap, or you don't get the present I brought you today."

"You brought me a present? What is it?"

"You don't get to find out unless you take a nap."

"You should at least tell me so I'll know if it's worth it or not."

"Nope, I'm not telling you. But it's something you wanted."

"Something I wanted…?" Vexen stared blearily past his cup of orange juice. _Something I really _do _want, or something he _thinks _I want? _

It was part of the whole "control" issue again…but this was…a good kind of control. No one else in all of Even's memories would have actually forced him to take a nap. He chuckled a little.

"Ah, alright. But no more than three hours. I have some more DNA testing for the Replicas that I need to get done today."

Marluxia had to agree to that, though the mention of the Replicas lit a small fire under his limbs. He wondered if part of the reason Vexen was so tired was because he'd already had to go siphon off some of his life force.

They both fell silent and went back to eating and thinking…in a rare moment of peace and agreement.

(-)

"It's a spiky fruit thingy! Ta-da!"

Vexen gazed down at the spike-covered little purple fruit Marluxia had just handed him with exasperation. "…_This_ is what I wasted three hours of my day for?"

"It's from my garden!" Marluxia insisted. "Remember? The weird plants you'd never seen before? You wanted to study them? You won't come back to the garden anymore, so I just decided to bring one of the plants to you." He grinned a little. "You know…try to entice you. Most of my plants _can't _be so easily transported."

Vexen's green pupils slid up to look at him now, analyzing his motives. "Maybe," he told him at last. "Only if you're on your best behavior for the next week or so."

"Yes, Mommy," Marluxia feigned innocence. "I'll be a good little boy."

Vexen pinched his nose in disgust. Nevertheless, he told him that he wouldn't get a chance to study the fruit for a while—he was still doing DNA testing and altering for the Replicas, and that was going to take him probably the rest of the day to complete. There really wasn't much Marluxia could do to help either, besides just fetching supplies. Vexen had tried to explain a DNA data analysis output sheet to him before, but he was hopelessly lost on it. Aside from a few very simple calculations, he really couldn't do anything on the actual project at all.

And so, for the first hour or so, Vexen had him testing his own fruit.

"Y'know," he complained as he extracted some of the juice and pulp, laying it in a little glass dish. "I gave this to you so that _you_ could research it, not so that _I _could research it _for_ you."

"Would you rather be cleaning out the seventh storage closet?" Vexen replied.

"No." Marluxia grumbled. Though, once the fruit was sufficiently dissected, and its parts saturating under substance-scanning machines, he moved behind Vexen at his workstation to watch the progress.

It looked like nothing to him—just a bunch of random numbers and symbols and children's scribbling. But Vexen knew exactly what he was doing as he carefully went over the sheet and diagrammed out which sections should be replaced or moved, and what with.

"This is coming out a little differently than I had expected," he mumbled. "Though I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, considering that this is all I have. The important thing now is just making sure it works…"

Marluxia slipped off his gloves and gently slid his hands up into Vexen's hair, massaging his scalp.

"…Marluxia…_what_ are you doing?"

He grinned again, shrugging gently as he worked his fingers through the blond strands. "I dunno. Trying to stimulate those brain cells." He pressed on his head a little deeper. "_Think_, think…"

Vexen pulled his hands straight off his head, leaving his hair a poofy mess at the top. "You're probably _killing_ them rather than stimulating them. And don't you remember what I told you? You have to be on your best behavior. That includes not touching me if I haven't agreed to it."

"But what about the attraction research?" Marluxia dramatically whined. "It hasn't gotten anywhere lately. And I'm all done with the fruit, so there's nothing else for me to do… that doesn't involve physical labor, thanks."

Vexen sucked in his breath. He knew Marluxia was playing with him and once again trying to manipulate him, and he knew that, once again, it was working. But it was true…he hadn't gotten anywhere with the attraction research lately. And he wanted to, despite all the blaring red warning sirens going off in his mind now.

"You have to ask me first," he decided. "And if I say no, that means no."

Marluxia put on his best pout. "Aw, that's no fun. You're just going to say no to everything."

But Vexen just ignored him, resuming his scrutiny of the data sheets.

"Can I…give you a massage?" Marluxia asked, after a moment. "I've wanted to try that for a while, but you wouldn't let me last time."

Vexen deliberated for a moment in silence. "…I suppose so."

And so, Marluxia leaned over a little, cupping Vexen's shoulders in his hands and softly kneading them, through the thick material of his coat. A minute in, he bent his head down, watching the illegible pencil marks fly across the papers. He felt another little devious grin stretching onto his face. He enjoyed this so much… After a while, he could almost feel the tensed, tight little muscles at the base of his neck loosening just a bit. He moved down to knead between his shoulder-blades. This took quite a bit more work—Vexen was very, very stiff here, and he could feel his rod-straight spine between his hands. But gradually, though Vexen didn't even realize it himself, his muscles were relaxing and unwinding…suddenly, he was more comfortable in his seat, though he didn't give it one second's thought. Marluxia only continued to beam with pride as he felt his rigid, icy layer gradually falling away, piece by piece…becoming putty in his hands.

He leaned in a little closer, almost on autopilot, and whispered into his ear. "I want to try something…will you let me?"

"Hmm?" Vexen was barely aware of Marluxia anymore at all. He was utterly concentrated on his work, comfortable, relaxed, and "in the zone", apparently.

"May I try something?" Marluxia softly asked again.

"Huh…?" Well, it wasn't a no.

Marluxia carefully leaned his face in closer…and pressed his lips to Vexen's left cheek. It was hard and sharp and wasn't pleasant at all.

"Ah-!" At last, Vexen popped out of his trance, his eyes flying open, his body jerking back, his cheeks instantly flaring up.

Marluxia grinned. _This_ was what he'd been hoping for. For a moment, it looked like Vexen was about to fly into another crazed panic. His chest heaved as he desperately held his composure together.

"Wh-what did…? _Why_…? I didn't…say you could do that!"

"But you didn't say I couldn't," Marluxia teased. "I thought you might blush like that again, and I was right."

Vexen's blush deepened. "It's…it's just because of how utterly _foolish_ you're acting. Something is seriously wrong with your brain."

Marluxia quickly pecked him again, and his face was glowing so much now, he was trying to hide it in his hair. He chuckled. "Haha, you're so cute."

"…Forty-three-year-old men are not _cute_, Marluxia."

"No, maybe not. But twenty-six-year-old men trapped in forty-three-year-old bodies who act like they're fifteen are."

It took Vexen a few moments to recover. Memories and the memories of feelings were swirling through him. _He…kissed me_, he thought, unbelievably. _It was just a cheek kiss, but…I never thought he'd ever…_

He pinched his lips together, concentrating and trying to stop his body from going haywire. "…I need to document this." With swift, trembling hands, he grabbed his attraction notebook out of a side drawer, flipped it open and began to jot something down.

Marluxia bent over, reading aloud over his shoulder. "Cheek kiss—7:38PM. Occurred after a massage, by surprise. Subject calls object "cute", ignoring factor of object's age and physical conditions. Motive must be ascertained. Cheek slash hair, something scribble something massage, something instance 3…this truly is fascinating, I'd like to take a look at the rest of those notes."

"This is my own personal research—as the _subject _of the experiment, allowing you to look at the results could create certain flaws in any further observations." Vexen snapped the notebook closed. Thinking logically and rationally again had completely calmed him down—and to Marluxia's dismay, re-frozen and re-tightened up all of his muscles.

"Okay, you've had your fun for now. That's plenty enough attraction research for today."

But Marluxia, as usual, wasn't quite ready to give it up so easily. There were a few things…a few little details he wasn't satisfied with. He forced his voice to go lower…serious and inquisitive. "Though I wonder…"

He could feel the sting of Vexen's acidic eyes following him as he moved his index finger gently closer to his cheek. He rubbed it a little, almost tenderly.

"Why does this bother you? Why does it bother you so much when I touch you?"

"That's obvious." You could practically hear the glare in Vexen's voice. "Because your touch is utterly repulsive to me."

"But why do you blush like this?" Marluxia had to force his mouth muscles not to automatically pull into a smile. Vexen's cheek was still dusted pink, and it was getting slightly darker as he rubbed it. "It's not like you can feel the embarrassment."

Vexen's ticked-off expression remained firmly intact, despite his flushed face. "Simple. When one feels threatened, stress chemicals in the body increase, causing the physical-heart to beat faster, which pumps more blood through-"

Marluxia quickly pressed a hand to his chest, halting him mid-sentence. He could feel the pounding, even through Vexen's thick coat. "Hmm. You're right." The grin broke out over his face automatically now—he couldn't control it. "It feels like you're about to have a heart attack. You feel that threatened by me?"

"It's just a survival instinct!" Vexen snapped, maybe a little too quickly. "Anything making contact with my body could potentially harm it, and so it is making itself ready to retaliate in an instant's notice!" He whipped around in his seat again, leaving Marluxia stroking the air. "And if you don't mind, I am trying to-"

"But I still don't understand." Marluxia was really just being peevish on purpose now, but he couldn't help himself. "The whole touching thing. Is it…that you prefer females?"

"I-" Vexen's face was bright red again, and this time, he could even hear the pounding of his own physical-heart in his eardrums. He pressed hard into the sides of his head, just trying to get it to stop. "I'm _working_ here! Please, for the love of Kingdom Hearts, will you just let me get back to work?"

"That doesn't answer my question."

Vexen's body was reeling out of his control again, and a shudder ran through it as he forced it to calm down and not explode. _Why do I put up with this all the time? …I must be a masochist._

"Well…at least I know _you _for some insane reason, have an affinity for wrinkly old men."

Marluxia leaned, comfortably over the chair, for an instance, channeling one of Lumaira's "stances". "I happen to be bisexual, actually, thank you."

Something was…odd, though. It was strange, Marluxia thought…to hear Vexen call _himself_ a "wrinkly old man". For all he'd known before, Vexen didn't have the slightest problem with aging at an accelerated rate. He always scoffed and said he didn't give a rat's ass about his appearance or what other people thought of him. Yet just now… He'd have to let it slip by for now, but that wouldn't stop him from bringing it up again some other time…maybe later tonight.

Vexen could feel his hands trembling against his forehead. He should've known things like this would eventually come up if he was around Marluxia for this long. Again, he was going to trap him into revealing things that he never wanted revealed. There was no other way around it.

"Tell me and I'll leave you alone," Marluxia spoke again, as if putting Vexen's thoughts into concrete words.

_No way around it_…

He sucked in his breath. His entire body was trying to reject his next actions with everything it had, pulling away instinctually, once again automatically trying to protect itself. But he couldn't. He had to just…push through it.

"I…" Vexen turned slightly, his head resting in one hand, as if he had a splitting headache…which, in fact, he could feel one coming on. "I'm…I'm homosexual…actually…well, Even was."

A pause. Marluxia at least decided to grant him the dignity of a quiet moment after this admittance.

He relaxed his stance and pulled back, crossing his arms. "…Does Zexion know that?"

Vexen chewed into his bottom lip, so hard that it almost started bleeding. "…No," he finally responded, through a mouthful of lip skin. "No one…does…but not anymore, huh?"

Jovially, Marluxia reached forward and clapped him on the shoulder. "Well, congratulations! Shall I throw you a coming-out party?"

"Just—just shut the hell up and leave me alone! You promised you would!"

"Yes, yes. Go on and finish your little science project now that you've outed yourself. I'm quite satisfied."

Vexen grumbled and muttered to himself again as he angrily calculated a couple of extremely complicated equations.

_God, he's so high-strung…_ A little tug came at the edges of Marluxia's brain as he forced himself to turn away and leave him his peace for now. But at least he knew this was definitely getting somewhere.

He chuckled under his breath as he teasingly poked some of his excess fruit mush in a Petri dish. _I know something else now that no one else knows. _The pink-orange glop bounced like slight rubber over his metal instrument. _Vexen's so uncomfortable with his sexuality, though. It's going to take forever before he openly accepts it. And we don't have forever. _A little pouty frown tickled his mouth. _It seems like he's uncomfortable with…himself. _

Suddenly, he was compelled to turn his head again, letting his gaze linger on Vexen's back as he hunched firmly over his desk. Again…just for a minute…he'd given him a little peek at what lay underneath. Though it might not seem like it on the surface…Vexen was opening up to him. It was like he had finally accepted him.

Marluxia cracked a private grin when he remembered…how surprised he'd been to feel the soft tickling of Vexen's hand ruffling his hair in the middle of the night. It was something he knew he wouldn't forget for a long time to come…that first little…_something_.

Honestly, he could care less if Vexen liked him back or not…he was going to have him either way. _But, you know, if he _did… Marluxia thought, as he forced himself away again. _…It sure would make things a lot easier…and more fun._

(-)

It was one of those times again. So freakin'…_quiet. _

Marluxia sat slumped against the end of a cold metal desk, blowing on his bangs, absently. He'd finished printing out the chemical test results from the fruit almost an hour ago, and Vexen hadn't even _looked_ at them. Apparently, he had finished the Replica work by now and was doing something with the research for his next emotional energy test sphere thingy. Well, he _had _attempted to explain what he was doing, but Marluxia could barely understand a word of it…something about micro-particles and the conversion of matter and compatibility. Having mastered anger in a bottle, he was apparently moving on to getting joy in a bottle.

_How the hell does he expect to get joy next? Anger, at least, he can understand. Happiness…he doesn't even know how to display it. Excitement, yes, but…well, there was that whole dance routine…but happiness is…beyond that. _

Marluxia twisted one scraggly lock of his hair around his finger as he listened to the lulling sound of flipping pages. _But…really…do _I_ know any better? _

He lowered his head and delved into his memories, trying to search for a time when Lumaira had been really happy. What had made him truly, unquestionably happy? Well…being with Glenn, naturally. Being…outside. Being _free_, more specifically. That had only happened a few short times in his twenty-two-year lifespan. But the same didn't seem to hold true for his Nobody self. Being with Vexen didn't give him "happiness" signals. It did _something_ to him, for sure, but that was just…the attraction.

_I wonder what made Even happy_, Marluxia tugged his hair clump out straight. _And if it's the same for Vexen._ Of course, if he tried to ask him, he'd just say something like "it would make me happy if you'd just disappear and stop asking me such preposterous questions". He lowered his head closer towards his knees, almost dejectedly.

"…Marluxia?"

Immediately, he was sitting bolt upright again. He twisted around to his knees instantaneously, grabbing the end of the desk and poking his head above it. He didn't even really know why he was so eager—it was just surprising. Vexen was rarely the one to break the silence of his own concentration, and especially to get _Marluxia's_ attention.

"I…may need your help with some of this."

And now _admitting _that he needed _help_…from _him_? For once, Marluxia was too stunned to even respond.

Vexen sighed, irritably. It was obvious that he really didn't want to say this, but it was something that had to be done. "It seems your…our attraction research will be greatly beneficial in this next step. While it does not correlate exactly, it is possible that I could use pieces of those trends as part of the joy equation. I…didn't think it would reach into other areas of study entirely."

Marluxia cocked his head a little, smirking back. "I'm proving to be a lot more useful than you'd thought, aren't I?"

"…Blah." Apparently, Vexen had stopped even trying to come up with witty comebacks. He was looking kind of tired, Marluxia noticed, probably from the lack of sleep the previous night. He softened his expression then, looking up at him with slightly widened eyes. Vexen glared back, unreadable, aside from the tiredness.

"Mm…pffwaahh!" _Thump!_

All of a sudden, Marluxia had tried to leap up to his feet…only he hadn't expected the floor to be so slippery. His feet had flown out from under him, leaving his head to jerk backwards, his entire body unexpectedly tumbling to the ground.

"Urrrg…" he grumbled as he began to pull himself up again. But then…something even more unbelievable happened.

"_Ahuhuhuhuhuh_!"

Marluxia scrambled up towards the source of the strange high-pitched sound…to gape in wonderment when he found Vexen…_laughing_.

"_Huhuhuh_..._hoohoo_…_ahuhuhuhuhuhu_!" His body was shuddering, gripping his abdomen, obviously trying his hardest to hold it back, but completely failing.

Marluxia blinked, letting the incredulity wash over him. "What…the heck is _that_?"

"Ahuhuh…excuse me…_hoohooheheh_…just a…_huhuh_…muscle spasm…ahoohoohoohoohoohoo!"

Suddenly, just the sound of that funny noise made Marluxia want to start laughing too. "That…is the silliest, most annoying laugh I have ever heard."

That statement somehow made Vexen laugh even harder. He squeezed his body, rocking back and forth in his chair.

"Heheh…" Marluxia chuckled. This was kind of…nice, his mind thought. He wanted Vexen to keep laughing…to keep enjoying himself like this. And even more so, if he could be the cause of it.

"I'm going to try something else now," he announced, another devious smirk breaking out. Vexen was still convulsing with runaway giggles and he didn't even really notice…or have the capacity to try to stop him.

Without a second warning, Marluxia pounced…creeping his fingers around Vexen's body and tickling. And, as it happened, it was also a well-kept secret that Vexen was very, _very_ ticklish.

"_Hoohoo_huhuhuhuhuhuhuhuh!" he half-squealed, kicking his legs against the relentless spasms. He laughed and laughed as Marluxia mercilessly tickled him all over, pounding a fist against the table, trying to gasp for air. "S-S-S-St-op!" he managed to choke out at last. "M-M-Marluxia, s-stop! Huhuhuhuh! S-Someone…'s going to hear and…hihihuhuhuh, wonder what's going on!"

"Why?" Marluxia teased, grinning against the top of his head, never letting up on the tickling for a minute. "Isn't it perfectly ordinary for you to have fits of maniacal laugher when you're _alone_ down here, you crazy scientist?"

Vexen laughed again, but this time, he wriggled and finally managed to squirm out of Marluxia's grasp, immediately popping out from the chair and dashing towards the safety of a storage cabinet.

"Hey!" Marluxia called, tauntingly. "Just where do you think you're going, you?"

In no time at all, Marluxia had caught up again and tackled Vexen to the ground in another tickle-attack. His high-pitched, creepy squeak of a laugh was piercing against his eardrums again instantly. Marluxia felt laughter bubbling out of him too, though he could barely hear it over that infernal noise. Vexen fought and tried to squiggle away from him again, but Marluxia caught the end of his long cloak and pulled him right back.

Vexen himself didn't even really know what he was doing—everything was just sort of happening. Sensations were overloading his system and he could barely think to even try to rationally process them. Though something in the back of his brain told him that what he was doing could be potentially construed as flirtation, he couldn't stop it. Running and hiding behind tables, giggling, making Marluxia chase him around the lab. He kicked a few of his own notebooks once, even knocked over one of his own bottles…but his insane body just wouldn't stop. Everything…didn't seem real.

By the time it all came to an end, it was almost midnight, and Vexen was lying face-down on the lab cot, utterly exhausted, with Marluxia sitting next to him, lazily petting his hair.

"Hmmmmml," he vaguely groaned into the sheets, voice muffled. "That was…the worst muscle spasm I've ever had."

Marluxia rolled his eyes. "A muscle spasm. Riiiiiiight."

"It _is_. It's a physical reaction, causing your lungs to-"

Marluxia began trailing his fingers down his spine, which he could feel, of course, even through the coat material.

"Don't you _dare_." Vexen pulled himself up at last, giving Marluxia a deathly serious warning glare. "I _will_ freeze your hands off."

Marluxia materialized a little daisy in his fingers now, and tickled it against Vexen's nose. "Oh, you're so cute."

Vexen scowled. "What did I tell you about calling me cute?"

"That you think you're not cute because you're old."

"Indeed. I don't _think_ it—it's a fact."

"Oh, really? You can prove it, then?"

"Of course. What most people find attractive is symmetry—average. Average height, average weight, features neither too big nor too small, average age, smoothness of texture…"

"But we're far from being 'most people', you know, Vexen."

Vexen finally turned away from the annoyingly taunting little flower tickling his face. "You're just some sort of abnormal mutation."

Marluxia dropped the daisy to the bedcovers…and softly began to move closer, all on his own. It…was different. Something was different now. Open. That whole strange, otherworldly tickling escapade had left something in its wake…a kind of _comfort_. An unexplainable sense that…it was okay. He let it envelop him and take him wherever it wanted to.

Then, for the third time that day…Marluxia's lips pressed against Vexen's cheek, soft and tender.

A little shiver ran through Vexen's body…but somehow, he knew it was the _good_ kind. "Mmm." He felt his heart pounding faster again, his cheeks flushing as he shifted his gaze down into the mattress. But other than that, he didn't say a word.

Marluxia chuckled a little, quickly trailing a finger down his cheek before pulling away. "Getting used to it? You should be. I have an inkling that this attraction of mine is only going to get worse. And it's your own fault, you know."

"I know," Vexen muttered, through clenched teeth. "This is getting to be an issue." He weakly raised one shaking hand, as if reaching for his distant desk. "I need to…make a detailed report of this…anomaly."

Marluxia immediately reached up and forced his hand back down. He was still much stronger than him right now. "No," he insisted. "You should get some rest now. You still need to make up for last night. You can do that in the morning."

"But…I might forget by then." Even Vexen knew that he was just playing now…he knew he was going to be forced to go to sleep, whether he wanted to or not.

"Well, if you forget, then I'll just have to show you all over again, won't I?" Marluxia hadn't meant for those words to sound _quite _so seductive, but…it just slid out.

He gently, yet firmly pushed him down into the mattress. "Sleepy time now. You can have all the sciencey time you want tomorrow while I'm gone."

"Hm." Vexen closed his eyes. He _was _extremely tired, after all, and right now…he didn't even mind. He was enjoying all this attention, as much as he would never admit it.

Though Marluxia resented having to do this with his clothes on, he really just…wanted to stay tonight. Everything was so comfortable…it hadn't been like this really ever before. He leaned in and kissed Vexen's forehead before settling down next to him.

"Don't…say you're a wrinkly old man," he muttered, almost to himself. "You're beautiful."

Silence.

"…_What_?" Vexen's eyes popped open again. Just as he'd been comfortably clearing his mind and trying to drift off to sleep, Marluxia had to say something weird out of nowhere.

"I said…you're beautiful." Marluxia stirred, glancing up when he felt Vexen's body stiffen up next to him. "Why would that bother you? It's a compliment."

"Because it's a blatant lie."

He could almost _feel_ him growing all cold and resistant again under his hand.

"What makes you think that? I wouldn't be attracted to you if I didn't think you were beautiful. Well…I guess I kind of didn't before, but…it's changed. It's a development."

Vexen was just too tensed up to relax again now. "You're trying to get me to allow you things faster. You're trying to over-compliment me because you know I'm starved for attention and I'll grasp at anything positive anyone has to say about me. But you know, outlandish things like 'beautiful' aren't going to work."

The coldness seemed to be seeping in through Marluxia's skin as he thought about it. He moved his gaze down, trailing along the sleek black line of Vexen's side. "Do you…really not like yourself that much?"

Vexen gave off a small "hmph" and turned his face. "I like myself perfectly well. I'm the most brilliant scientific mind this world has ever seen. I know and understand more than any of you ever will. I'm courteous and loyal. But I am _not _physically attractive, and that is entirely obvious."

Marluxia didn't like hearing him talk like this. He had hoped for more of that cuteness…more of that shy blushing and mumbling "do you really think so?" Instead, Vexen was just being all stubborn and intractable about it. This was even worse than he'd thought.

He gently reached up and stroked a piece of his hair, but he was no longer in the mood and just twitched away.

Marluxia sighed. _Ah well. One step forward, two steps back. _But at least it gave him something to think about, and he did love thinking. Already, his plotter's mind was planning out things to try tomorrow, courses to take next, ideas, hopes for the future…before his nonexistent world went black.

(-)

_"You need to understand. Please. Listen." _

_There was no getting through to him. Even's body was twisting this way and that, helplessly trying to break his grasp. He was a mess, his long hair matted and frazzled, his thin body continually shuddering, his face pale as a ghost and streaked with sticky dried tears. _

_Aeleus held him clamped to his wide chest, the only pillar of stability in this wracked scientist's slowly crumbling world. _

_Something was assaulting his mind now, taking it over and blotting out all of his comprehensible thought. Still, the stalwart Apprentice had to make an effort. He would try his hardest to get the message across…to the man who had once been his friend. Who could still be his friend. _

"_Even. Please, listen to me. He was trying to help." _

"_All he ever wanted to do was help!" Even's voice was wild, insane, his vocal chords stretched tight and high. "That's all he ever wanted! All he ever, ever wanted…!" He thrashed again over his solid, muscled chest, but Aeleus held tight. _

"_Even. Listen. He was trying to save you." _

"_I don't need saving!" _

"_He did it because he wanted to. Because he loves you." _

"_HE LOVES ME AND I DESTROYED HIM!"_

_Suddenly, Even tore away, with a crazed, despaired burst of wild adrenaline, clawing, biting his way out. Aeleus looked on, his face as always stolid…though a part of him deep inside was wavering in sorrow. _

_Hot, angry tears poured out from Even's eyes, bathing him in an oppressive heat. A sharp, painful breath shot into him. "Ienzo…Ienzo loved me…and I…I loved him…a-and I…I destroyed him." _

"_Even." Aeleus repeated his name, gently, trying to get him to come to his senses. It was painful just to watch him like this. "Please. Listen to reason." He carefully held out one large, sturdy hand. "Ienzo is fine. He still loves you. You haven't 'destroyed' him. He will be just fine. He…he did that because…he saw how much you were suffering. He wanted to share the burden. He didn't want you to go through this alone. You don't have to go through this alone, Even." _

_For a moment, Even was silent, just standing there, letting the tears fall, tiny reflective beads against the cluttered gray lab floor. His arms automatically wrapped around himself, trying to hold himself from shuddering violently to pieces. _

"…_Yes," he finally whispered. "Yes, I do." His heart throbbed within his chest, and now, he knew why Dilan had hated his so much. "I don't want…any of you to get hurt again." _

"_We won't." Aeleus was almost begging now…a tone he almost never used. But he had to do this, not only for Even, but for Ienzo…for everyone, really. _

"_N-N-No. It doesn't matter…what I do." Even's twitching fingers jerked up around his head, pressing in, trying to keep it from exploding. "Everything…everyone in my life…I only end up hurting them! I destroy…their lives. All the time! All the time!" _

_He was starting to lose it again. Desperately, Aeleus held out his arms, ready to catch him or lunge forward to stop him if he did anything sudden and volatile. "It's not your fault, Even." _

"_Don't you realize? THIS CAN NEVER BE UNDONE!" _

_Even shrieked, his body violently convulsing. The scene…the memory was replaying itself on the insides of his eyelids, in the drums of his ears. He would never, ever be able to forget. It would haunt his dreams for the rest of eternity. The stretching, creaking of skin, the crackling, popping of bones, the shivering, bubbling mass of human flesh… _

_He watched, over and over, as little Ienzo leaped out in front of him, taking the full power of the blast, the yellow light beams cutting straight into his small body…and he only tumbled backwards, powerless to stop it. He screamed, yelled, tackled him by the legs and tried to drag him out of the machine's reach. But it was too late. It was always too late. He felt, with a horror so real it stung his chest even now, as underneath his arms, his Ienzo's little body began to grow and twist itself…_

"_Even…he's okay," Aeleus tried to cut through. "He's perfectly healthy—you saw for yourself. He's just…not a child anymore. …he's never been a child, really." _

"_I…" Even was starting to choke on his own tears. They were dripping into his mouth, constricting his throat even further. His next sentences were croaked out, torturously. "I never wanted…any of this. I never wanted…anything to happen to him. N-N-N-No. I-I will…never…get so close. I will…n-n-never…hurt him again."_

_Suddenly, Even's body gave a powerful shudder…and to Aeleus's utter shock, raised his frazzled head again…to reveal a wide, eerie, crazed grin. _

"_You will have to forget." His voice was just as panicked and maniacal…though this seemed like a different kind of mania. "We'll make you forget this Program even exists! We can do that! We'll wipe your memory clean! ….Aiugh!" _

_Even convulsed again, falling to his knees. His expression had returned to its previous agony. _

_Aeleus couldn't help but feel a little bit of something cold and uncomfortable sliding through his chest. No… It couldn't be… Was this… _

_Even had recently told the others…that he had another person living inside of him. An "Other Self" who sometimes spoke to him in moments of weakness. Most of the other Apprentices only laughed it off, saying he was crazy. Braig and Dilan had even had a running pool of bets on when Even would go insane first. But Aeleus was one of the few that fully believed him. _

_Even was, after all, a clairvoyant. Everyone knew he could see things…energies, entities, connections in the world that lie hidden away, undetected by anyone else...bits of the future, the past. His Sight had been failing him lately, slowly faltering and fading out, which was why he'd never been able to anticipate Ienzo's actions. But…if he said he'd communicated with this "Other Self" of his…Aeleus believed him. Perhaps…it was there. Perhaps it was whispering to him, toying with him this very moment. _

"_Even…" Aeleus moved solidly forward, reaching out. All he wanted to do was just hold him, stabilize him, calm him, get it to all go away. He couldn't stand seeing his friend suffering…suffering in his own mind, and not being able to do anything about it. _

_But as soon as he even got close, Even tore away again, desperately. "D-DON'T TOUCH ME!" _

_For a moment, even Aeleus's ever-fixed face contorted…into one of deep-set sadness. _

_And that, finally, was what caught Even's attention and got something through to his overwhelmed brain. He looked up, green eyes puffy and bloodshot, yet…regretful. "A-Aeleus…I'm sorry…but I cannot associate with you anymore." _

_Aeleus's silence seemed to speak for him. _Why not?

"_It's too…dangerous. I-I'm not…well." _

_Aeleus's lips moved slightly, as if he were about to say something, but he never got the chance._

_Even's eyes moved to the floor. His shaking had at last begun to abate, though he was still holding himself tightly. "Please…just leave. Please…don't try to change it. Just go. I want…to be alone." _

_Naturally, Aeleus was extremely reluctant to go. He couldn't just leave Even here…where he might descend even further into the Darkness that was taking over his mind. But what choice did he have? _

_It was a few long, painful moments of silent thought battles…before Aeleus finally turned…leaving behind one of his closest friends in Radiant Garden, leaving the Darkness to devour his soul. He was already lost, he silently grieved. He'd been lost…for a while now. _

_But even as the small mountain of a man gradually disappeared into the murky distance, Even took comfort. He, at least, would be saved, even if he hadn't been able to save Ienzo. _

_A tiny smile graced Even's lips as he let the last of his tears dry. _Never again_, he promised. _It will be okay. Never again. Soon, I will never be able to feel love again.


	7. The Education Process

There is no excuse for this. So I'm not even going to begin to explain.

However, there are a few things in this chapter that I was extremely nervous about posting. But...I'm not going to worry about it anymore. Suffice it to say, there's some strange stuff going on, and you can either find it adorable, hilarious, or horrifying. Things are heating up, though, and at some point, I actually got a little carried away. Still, this story is definitely staying T-rated, so don't expect it to get much more intense.

You may also notice that the character formerly known as Blanio has undergone an identity change. He is now officially named Glenn. I've been calling him that for a a while in my head, and it suits him much better, now that he's developed more and I have a better understanding of who he is. I apologize for the confusion, however, I will/have editted the previous chapters to include the name change, so those of you reading this for the first time won't notice any difference. Yes, Glenn was once called Blanio! What a silly name...

As always, I own Glenn and Teacher, and...that's about it.

(-)

Chapter 7: The Education Process

_Air. All around. Fresh, clean air. Or as clean as it could get in Borealis City. Lumaira could feel it nipping at his coat sleeves, snaking up the ends of his pants, into the flaps of his hood. How he longed to just rip this hood off, fling his hat to the ground, and let the amazing breeze rustle through his hair, caress his scalp, light and cool emptiness. But of course, that would ruin everything. Everyone would see his bright, unusual hair color…and while it might not fall to pieces instantly, someone would see him. Someone would spread the word of the strange pink-haired young man they'd seen in the market, and someone would recognize him. Someone would turn him in. The House would fall…the only home he'd ever known. _

_He glanced to his left, since he had almost no peripheral vision in this thing. Glenn stood next to him, similarly disguised, though he only had a hat. Apparently, he could afford to show his face, since they normally made him wear a lot of makeup anyway. His _normal_ hair blended in more easily. _

"_Don't get distracted," he reminded him. "We're just here to get the supplies, and that's it. Don't you wander off on me!" _

_Lumaira cracked a smile that only Glenn could see. "Aw, you're no fun. Teacher's pet." _

_Glenn gave an empty chuckle. "Yeah, right. Everyone likes you best and you know it. If we could have a poster, you'd be on the front of it." _

_Lumaira laughed back, imagining that. "Someone would have to paint me." _

"_I'd love to be the one to do it." _

_He could hear the teasing smirk in his partner's voice. "Hey!" Lumaira punched him on the shoulder, lightly. "We're not supposed to get distracted, remember? Someone should practice what they preach." _

_Glenn shook his head. "Can't help myself." _

_Just then, a lady carrying a bundle of clothes in a basket bumped lightly into Glenn's side. "Oh! Excuse me!" she called, before hurrying off into the crowd. _

"_We need to get moving." Glenn's face twisted into something much more grave and focused than many knew his baby face was capable of. Every shred of Lumaira's being protested…but he had no choice but to follow his lover through the crowds, winding in and out of pedestrians, heading for the colored poles in the distance. _

_The market. Here was where they bought most of their supplies—especially fresh fruit and vegetables, which were not at all plentiful. Lumaira complacently held their basket out as Glenn loaded it up at the first market stand. Softly, he ran one hand over the smooth, firm skin of an apple. He imagined a world in which apples fell from trees. Where you could pick one from the branches and eat it without having to pay for it first. This was why Glenn constantly had to keep him grounded. He was always daydreaming. He loved to touch things—living things, _organic_ things. Fruits, leaves, even weeds. It gave him comfort, somehow…knowing that life…that nature was fighting back, fighting for its survival and winning. _

_Glenn placed a heavy sack of munny chips on the counter, and the merchant eagerly scooped it up, mumbling a rough, "thanks for your business". Everyone here…they were all such greedy, selfish, money-grubbing bastards. Lumaira fingered the side of a plump orange as he thought about just how much he'd love to see this whole place go up in smoke. _

_As they began to walk away, he looked over Glenn's basket, stocked high with other non-food supplies—toiletries, napkins, cleaning solution, fabric soap, bleach, spools of thread and a few needles, a mousetrap… "What about Fert's medicine?" Lumaira asked. He didn't see it anywhere in the pile of items. _

"_It wasn't on the list." Glenn frowned. "I guess they've decided it's not worth it. He's going to die anyway, whether he gets medicine or not." _

_For a moment…Lumaira felt really bad for him. That was the worst part. To be trapped. Not being able to do anything about it… _

_Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, right there in the middle of the square. _

_Glenn jerked around, keeping his eyes on his partner's form between the onrushing citizens. "Hey, c'mon!" he called. "What's wrong?" He moved in closer…he didn't want Lumaira to say something stupid out loud. _

_Lumaira's body was beginning to tremble, lightly. He was trying to keep himself together…he was not about to have a breakdown in the middle of the city. _

"_What's wrong?" Glenn's voice was gentle…he knew he was upset about something. "I…I'm really sad about Fert, too, but…" _

"_No…" Lumaira's voice was just as soft, only strained through choked-back tears. "That's not it. Well, I don't mean…it's terrible what's happening to him, but…that's not what…" _

_Gently, Glenn began to move his free arm around his shoulders. "Okay. It's okay, then. Tell me when we get back, I'm sure it'll be okay…" _

"_No!" Lumaira pulled away, much to Glenn's surprise. "I…I don't want to go. I can't… Think about it! I'm scared…I'm really scared. What if something like that happens to one of us? I don't want you to die like that!" For once, Lumaira was glad that nobody could see his face…the tears were really welling up now—he could feel their little wet beads under his eyelashes. _

"_Oh, Luma…" Glenn force-pulled him into a one-armed hug…he couldn't afford to set his basket down for even a second. "…I worry about that too. I worry about something happening to you, about you getting hurt…" _

"_Me?" Lumaira looked up, nearly ripping out of his grasp again. "I get the better ones. I'm the star. Nothing's going to happen to me. But _you_-you're the same rank as Fert." _

_Glenn decided to take a bit of a risk—he leaned in closer and briefly kissed Lumaira's cheek. "I'm going to be just fine," he said…and the solid tone in his voice almost made him believe it. "Don't worry about things like that. You'll just waste your life away." _

"_Waste my life away?" Suddenly, the tears hardened in their place. A very different feeling was filling him now, running from his heart down through his limbs. He gritted his teeth. "I'm already doing that. We're wasting our lives away right now. Our lives have already been wasted away. What's the use?" _

_Glenn's close, warm face suddenly darkened. "Luma…I know what you're thinking. Don't start with that again." _

"_Why not?" Lumaira was tenacious—he would never give something up once the seeds had been planted. "Glenn, we need to get out of here! We need to be rid of them—we need to be free! Please, before something happens, we have to-!" _

_Swiftly, Glenn stuffed a wad of tissue into Lumaira's mouth, muffling his continued cries. "Shhhhh!" he hissed. "Someone's going to hear you!" And indeed, a few passers-by were giving them odd looks. _

"_So what—let them hear!" Lumaira wanted to yell. "I don't care! Let them find us!" But he couldn't. For Glenn's sake. He couldn't do that to him. He didn't care what happened to himself, but Glenn… _

"_Shhh," Glenn hushed, a little more gently, when he sensed that Lumaira wasn't going to ruin everything. He plucked the tissue from his mouth, tossing it on the ground, and kissed him, assuredly. "It's okay. Let's go home now." _

_But as Lumaira reluctantly followed his love back through the crowded Borealis City streets, he couldn't stop thinking about it. Escaping. Running away. Just grabbing Glenn by the collar and running as fast as he could, out of the city, across the planet, destroying everything that stood in his way. Someday. Someday, he'd have the chance. Someday they'd all pay for this. _

_The earthy scent of the fresh fruits and vegetables in his arms seemed to agree. _

(-)

"…We should go outside."

Vexen sat up straight in his chair. "Outside? What would be the point of that?"

"Don't you ever want to go somewhere else? Get out of this stuffy castle? Well, aside from missions. Go somewhere, just to enjoy…_being _there?"

"No."

Up until now, Marluxia had been fairly well-behaved, aside from the little affectionate gestures he'd come to expect. Though, by this point, Vexen shouldn't have been surprised to hear something like this from him out of the blue. "I thought you wanted me to come visit your silly garden."

"Yeah, but…now I want to go outside even more."

Vexen sighed as he turned away from the pink mop-head, who was currently filling in a few simple data sheets for him. "There's nothing there. It might look like there's a big, mysterious city all around us, but really, there's nothing in it. Just legions of lesser Nobodies and Neoshadows. The buildings are all empty. Xemnas does quite like his symbolic emptiness."

"No, that's not what I meant." Marluxia looked up, though he didn't even need to see Vexen now to envision his expressions. "I meant…we should go somewhere. To another world. Just by ourselves, for the heck of it."

"We can do no such thing." He pictured Vexen's typical tight scowl. "There is no reason to. Our only current means of transport between worlds is the Dark Corridor, which is strictly monitored. Xemnas would know the instant either of us opened one. If you have such a desperate urge to break the rules, know that I definitely will have no part in it."

"But…don't you ever get to go out somewhere?" Marluxia insisted. "When you need more…supplies? They'd need to let you wander around some other worlds to pick up new samples."

"Usually, Saïx just assigns someone else a mission to get me new samples. Like when you retrieved those three Heartless for me."

"Aw, that's no fun." Marluxia insistently came to the side of the desk, striking Vexen's cheek with his lips before he could notice, almost like a snake lashing out for its prey. "I wanted the chance to get to see you outside."

"…Hmph. I don't see what difference it could possibly make." Though he immediately blushed, and his eyes flickered away, Vexen didn't object to the little kiss and only continued on with his current workload.

Reflexively, a smile pulled over Marluxia's lips. Over the past couple of days, he'd been conditioning him to get used to the cheekbone-kisses, and really, it hadn't taken too long. Vexen would never admit it, but he truly enjoyed them, and they'd both come to realize that for themselves.

"Who knows? It could make all the difference in the world. We all change and adapt according to our environment."

At last, Vexen spared a glance over at his mischievous companion. "You know what I think? I think you've been hovering around me for far too long. You're beginning to pick up some bad habits."

Marluxia shrugged. "I should think you'd praise me for being inquisitive."

"There's a difference between being inquisitive and being just plain nosy."

"You can write this down then—my attraction is making me wish to know all the inner workings of your private life."

Vexen paused to lift his pen and stare at the disturbing note he'd just taken. "Somehow, that sounds like a threat."

"Maybe it is."

Just as Marluxia began to move in for another kiss, a rough smacking sound, like a wet towel against a floor, burst out from the direction of the lab entrance. _What in the…?_

"Aw, dammit, what now?" Vexen pushed himself up from the chair to make his way to the door…but he wasn't fast enough to avoid another stealth-peck that Marluxia insistently pressed to his cheek.

"_Gah_! Stop that!" he cried out this time. "This might be important! Now just…be _normal_!"

"_Be normal"? How do I do that?_ Marluxia thought, but decided not to say it out loud just now. He doubted this whatever-it-was was another Organization member coming to visit, but there was a slim chance it could be Zexion, and he already had his suspicions about _him_.

There were a few more smacks before the now pink-faced Vexen finally reached the laboratory door and slid it open. Suddenly, something burst into the room—a flash of white, accompanied by a silly _boiyoing-boiyoing_ noise. Marluxia stood back as the creature somersaulted a few laps around Vexen before finally stretching upright. It was a Dusk, grinning mindlessly at them and holding an index card between its long, spade-like hands.

"A message?" Vexen questioned, holding out his hand for the card.

The Dusk nodded its big, pointy head, almost like it understood him, and placed it in his hand. Immediately, it hopped back out the door, now that its task had been completed, and Vexen followed it, closing the door behind it while he read the card. Marluxia tried to gauge the expression on his face as he read, but all he could find there was a slight confusion.

"Hmm," Vexen finally pronounced. "A summons."

"A summons?" Marluxia asked.

"Yes, of course, a summons! What did you think that meant, half-wit?" It seemed Vexen had completely switched tracks into his "irritated" mood for some reason. He scurried back to his desk and began rearranging it, paying no heed to his question.

"But a summons for _what_, exactly?" Marluxia pressed, moving closer, as if to grab him if he tried to escape. "Does that mean Xemnas wants to see you? Or Saïx wants to see you? Or...?"

"No," Vexen growled, clearly upset over it now. "A summons for the _day_. They want me to…report to the Grey Area with everyone else today."

Marluxia's current thoughts ground to a halt, and he stood straight and shocked while Vexen continued rustling through books and binders. No way. This was just an unbelievable streak of luck. A nomotional bolt of electricity shot through his system, and he felt his grin widen. "Well. Looks like I might just get my wish."

"Not necessarily," Vexen was quick to quell his excitement. "I may be forced out on a mission, but you will mostly likely be sent to a separate world."

"We'll see." It was impossible to resist—Marluxia automatically moved in again for a third kiss. Though he didn't prevent it, Vexen swatted him away afterwards, grumbling and complaining about needing more time to get things in order.

"Go back to your quarters," he gruffly ordered. "You should have _something_ to do before today's mission, shouldn't you?"

"No," Marluxia half-joked. "I spend all my time staring at my weird plants and planning what I'm going to do to you next."

"Wonderful," Vexen sneered back. "Now go do that elsewhere. I have to see your idiotic face again during mission briefings anyway."

Marluxia chuckled under his breath. Either he'd been too flustered to notice the suggestion in his words, or he just didn't care. But what it all boiled down to was this hopeful fact—that things were getting easier. That everything was going his way, even if it was going slowly.

Even as he spoke a snide farewell, his body was trembling with what he assumed was anticipation. _How am I going to relax for another half hour? I can't wait for today's mission! _

(-)

Nobody (relatively speaking) had any idea what the big summons was about. Every member of the Organization had once again convened in the Grey Area, just standing or sitting around and gossiping while they waited for Saïx.

As usual, Vexen stood off in the corner, folding his arms and just wishing he were back in his safe space, working on Replica genes. The others were staring at him, and he could feel it without even having to look up. He was the marker, after all—everyone knew that if _Vexen_ was here, something really strange was going on today. It was easy to ignore them, though, with everything that was going on in his mind right now.

Usually, Vexen would entertain himself by doing some long and arduous mental math, or by stewing over his current projects and maybe coming up with some new ones. But now, something was in the way…a thought-blocker kept popping up and getting in the way of his practiced head-calculations. A thought-blocker with soft pink hair and electric-blue eyes.

_You again,_ he scowled as he spoke to the mental image of Marluxia. _Why do you keep showing up? Get your irritating visage out of my chemical equation! _However, he knew that, in the depths of his brain, somewhere, he was ready for this useless mission to be over with, so he could get back to researching with Marluxia at his side.

It had taken a whole night of thinking and planning, but Vexen had finally come to the unfortunate conclusion that he really did desire Marluxia's company…that those little gestures of his…the petting, the comments…even the kissing…were _pleasant_. Yes, they made his physical-heart pump faster and distracted him from his work, but they were also like a similar kind of nomotional response he usually only got from the idea for a new experiment…_excitement_. He'd been making notes on it in secret, during the wee hours of the morning, which Marluxia had scolded him for, as usual…but it was extremely perplexing and interesting to him.

Perhaps it was another facet of attraction…but _he _wasn't attracted to _Marluxia_—no, it was only the other way around. Except that he kind of _was_. Marluxia had such beautiful, smooth skin, fluffy hair, and a gorgeous, though mischievous, smile. Then, there was his body…perfectly formed, toned and muscular, yet still sleek and lithe. There was no denying he would be considered attractive…and by Even's standards, he was the most gorgeous man he'd ever seen…but…but…

_Aaaaaaugh! _Vexen mentally screamed as he felt his physical-heart going haywire again and the prickle on his face signifying that he was blushing again.

Though he didn't notice, almost everyone else in the room turned to stare at him while he went through the motions of calming himself down, taking deep breaths and physically shaking himself out. Everyone just chalked it up to his insanity and continued about their business…though on the other end of the room, Zexion slowly raised one eyebrow as he peered above the cover of his book.

Before he could stop himself, Vexen automatically lifted his gaze towards the opposite end of the nearest couch, stealing a glance at Marluxia…and with a little jolt of panic, found Marluxia looking straight back at him.

(-)

Marluxia inwardly chuckled when Vexen met his eyes and panicked. The poor old man was having another miniature heart attack right in front of the whole Organization, and it pleased him to know that he was the cause. He heard giggling from his left, where Demyx and Xigbar were seated, and so he lightly tuned back into their conversation, though he continued to steal furtive glances at his pink-faced scientist.

"Yo, check out Mr. Creepazoid," Demyx laughed lowly, though he jabbed a thumb over his shoulder back at Vexen. "He's, like, all…_happy_ and stuff."

Though Marluxia didn't see it himself, of course, everyone else hadn't seen Vexen in so long that they were noticing the new changes in him. For the first time, he looked healthy and content rather than all gaunt and crotchety.

Xigbar just shrugged, uninterested. "Ah, he's probably on some new project or something he's all excited over."

"Nah, something definitely happened to him. Something awesome, I bet."

Then, Demyx leaned over to whisper something, and Marluxia had to strain every bit of his hearing sense in order to catch it. "…Maybe he finally got laid."

"_Ha ha ha ha ha_!" Xigbar burst out in raucous laughter, utterly unmindful of who heard him. "_No_ way! Ahahaha! Who the hell would tap _that_? Unless he gets one of his own freaky creations to do it. That's the only way _he's_ gettin' any. Oh, Lord. Ha haha!"

Something that felt like a blaze of fire sprang through Marluxia's system, and suddenly, he wanted to punch Xigbar straight across the face. How could he say something like that and laugh out loud? Fortunately, Vexen was still deeply lost in thought and hadn't heard…but pretty much everyone else had, and he thought he noticed Axel and Luxord snickering lightly behind an upraised fist and a hard of cards. How dare they say something so terrible and just…_get away_ with it?

After a moment, it was apparent that no one was going to defend Vexen's honor, and as much as Marluxia burned to leap in and object to them all, he weakly mustered a snort and struggled to quell the chemical anger storm that churned through his body. His annoyance with the ponytailed sharpshooter had just about reached its limit. While everyone else was completely clueless about today's mission and its cause, Xigbar alone had been acting all cocky, like he knew everything and was just dangling it over their heads. He could just be messing around, and in fact, it was highly likely that he was, but still, Marluxia did _not_ enjoy being toyed with, in any sense.

His eyes swept across the room, almost daring anyone else to try laughing…and for a second, his gaze caught a deep blue eye staring back at him from over the hard cover of a large book. Promptly, a _whoosh_ and a burst of black-purple energy announced Saïx's arrival, drawing Marluxia's attention away. Whatever _that _had been about, he tossed it aside, believing it to be of little consequence anyway.

"Alright, everyone," Saïx announced, and instantly, any chatter rumbled and died out. He took his standard position in the middle of the room, letting the long glass panels behind him and the image of the empty sky create as intimidating a picture as possible. "Today will be our final evaluation day. Though you may not be aware, we are in the process of implementing some significant changes to our organization infrastructure. Our Superior has something very important to announce at our gathering afterwards today, and I expect every one of you to perform to the peak of your abilities at this critical junction."

Axel and Luxord glanced over almost simultaneously as if to say "well, that explains the Vexen."

Saïx coughed to catch their attention again. He sighed, his body slightly deflating, and for a brief moment, he appeared exhausted and beleaguered by stress. "_Thus_—" Saïx forced himself back into business-mode, eager to be done with it all and hopefully get a half an hour or so to rest. "Since our previous evaluation involved working with those of compatible elements and strengthening your individual powers, this time those powers will be tested by working together with those of your _opposing _elements."

You could practically hear the thoughts brewing as everyone tried to figure out who they would be partnered with. _Vexen's with Axel, maybe?_ Marluxia thought. _Then who am I with? What is the opposite of flowers? _

"Axel and Demyx," Saïx continued, not giving them any time for silly questions. "You two are going to Agrabah."

"All _right_!" Demyx made a show of leaping up from the couch and going over to clap Axel on the shoulder. "I get someone cool this time!"

Axel just grimaced. "Heh, yeah. You can count on me if you're looking for awesome."

_Huh_, Marluxia considered. _So…now what?_

"Lexaeus and Xaldin," Saïx answered for him. "You're going to Beast's Castle."

There was no response from either of them, of course. That had to be the most serious, manliest pair in existence.

"Vexen and Marluxia."

…_What?_

"You're going to Twilight Town."

_WHAT? _Marluxia had to struggle to prevent the shock from instinctually showing on his face. _Did he just say…? No way. No freaking way. That would just be way too convenient…like I willed it to happen. No way. _

Distantly, he could feel eyes burning over his face as the rest of the Organization watched for his reaction. Fortunately, he succeeded in keeping his expression entirely stoic, though one of his eyebrows might have twitched a little.

Meanwhile, over in the corner, the flush of Vexen's face was slowly draining, and _everyone_ noticed his entirely horrified look.

Marluxia wished he could laugh. _It's really happening. Exactly what I wanted. Everything exactly according to plan. This is just amazing…it's like…it was meant to happen. I don't believe that things were "meant to happen", but… heh… I just can't wait to pester him the entire mission. I'll finally get to see what he _does_ on a mission…if he can actually fight with that defensive weapon of his. I'll…learn more. _

"Hmn." Saïx's golden eyes swept lowly across the room. Now, only the "intangible three" were left, and no one knew what to do with them. "…Xigbar and Zexion, you two can go to Wonderland, and Luxord…" He paused to ruffle through his already mussed hair. "…You can go with Xaldin and Lexaeus. I think it'll help with your current directives."

"Ah. I see." Luxord reshuffled his cards and stood, preparing himself for departure.

Marluxia could only wonder what those "current directives" were…though he was extremely grateful that Saïx hadn't decided to place Luxord with him and Vexen. _That would've just ruined everything._

Just like last time, Saïx recited the customary rules—stay undetected, be back by five o' clock, exc, and summoned four dark corridors with one forceful and irritated wave of his hand. For once in his life, Demyx was the first to jump at his portal, excitedly chattering away to Axel about all the "super-awesome" things they could do, and it was clear that Axel would probably come back early for the first time in his life, just to get away from the annoyance. The team of the Organization's manliest macho men left next, Luxord being the only one attempting to make conversation. Perhaps Saïx had added him to the group just to liven things up a little.

"Hey, let's go, Pipsqueak," Xigbar cracked as he made his way towards his portal.

Zexion reluctantly rose, closing his book and crossing his arms. "I'm _not_ answering to such a disparaging epithet."

"Eh, have it your way." Xigbar shrugged, even as he was halfway through the portal. "But don't expect me to slow down and wait for your little legs to catch up."

Marluxia's breath caught when he realized he was next. He hadn't been able to exchange a word yet with Vexen about this whole situation, and now, it was time to dive into it.

Just when he was about to turn and command the old man to follow him, Vexen determinedly strode past him, pointedly keeping himself from even glancing at his face. "Come on, you imbecile, let's get this over with."

_Let's get this over with, indeed._ At last, Marluxia let the eager smirk break over his face as he followed Vexen to the portal's edge. His tall body disappeared into the morass of darkness just ahead of him, and willingly, Marluxia reached out to embrace it and let it envelop him.

"A-Ah-!"

Suddenly, something lashed out and clamped down hard over his wrist, almost as if the portal had reached out a tendril and stopped him in his tracks…but a panicked glance down revealed that it was another black-gloved hand squeezed in a death-grip around the spot. _What?_

The next thing he knew, Marluxia was staring into Zexion's hair-draped face, a disturbingly dark expression glaring back at him from what he could see of his one eye and eyebrow. Thoughts and questions flooded through Marluxia's brain, wondering what in the world he could want, what he was going to do, if he was going to attack him, what he should do if he _did_ attempt to injure him, why he would want to injure him, and what he had done to merit this kind of treatment.

Zexion's eyes narrowed a miniscule. "You." He spoke softly, yet clearly, the words meant for him and him alone. "…You had better take care of him. You better satisfy him and make his every waking moment a joy. If I find you've only harmed him and wounded him, in any way…you can consider me your eternal enemy."

It felt like a coldness was creeping up Marluxia's arm from where Zexion's hand was cutting off its circulation…crawling up over his shoulder and into his chest. Yes. Of course. He'd had his suspicions about Zexion before…he should've seen this coming. There was nothing he could do now.

"What do you mean…?" he feigned ignorance, forming his face into a perfectly confused, exasperated signal. "I…I'm sorry, but I don't know who or what you're referring to."

If it was possible, Zexion's dark blue eyes went even colder. "I meant exactly what I said. It would be wise for you to heed these warnings." With a bit of a jerk, he released his wrist, turning his back and facing into his own portal. "…You don't want me to have to set myself against you."

And with that, he took a single step forward…and was gone, in the resulting burst of dark energy.

…_.._ Marluxia stared at the spot, dumbfounded. _He knows. Of course he knows. And he'll be watching me from now on, to make sure I'm doing a good enough job. _

That thought made him very uneasy, though he wasn't sure exactly why. One slip-up and he'd have gained an opposing force just like that…because if Zexion went against him, Lexaeus would undoubtedly follow. He'd sorely underestimated the strength of those shared memories that bound numbers four, five, and six together. Vexen had acted like that connection was no longer there at all…but perhaps he didn't even know himself. Perhaps that was the way Zexion wanted it.

These thoughts and considerations left Marluxia shaking his head when he at last entered the portal to follow Vexen through the dark corridor leading to Twilight Town. And as the misty blackness enfolded his body, one thought at least pushed through all the others.

_Vexen…you have no idea…how much he really does care about you. _

(-)

"_Kiiiiii_!" A small, floating Heartless screamed as a deadly sharp ice crystal impaled it. A clattering of comically oversized helmets announced the presence of two more Soldier Heartless, and Marluxia easily took them out with one powerful side-swipe of his scythe. The crowd of little darkness-creatures was thinning out now, and pretty soon, they'd be done with this silly evaluation mission. Still…it had been a very interesting and informative mission, if nothing else.

"Hah!" When Vexen landed, he quickly speared a few lurking Shadows with the spikes on the top of his shield and turned to face his unfortunate partner. "Let's move to the northern stairways. It seems we're all done here, but we've got to make sure no more have appeared in our absence."

Marluxia rolled his eyes slightly, but agreed. Oh, Vexen…always needing to maintain some illusion that he was still in charge.

Unfortunately, they hadn't had much time for amusing banter, but it _had_ been highly entertaining watching Vexen fight. Though he wasn't as strong as Marluxia himself—it took him two or three hits to finish off a Heartless that Marluxia could plow through with one strike—he still attacked his enemies with surprising ferocity and dispatched them as quickly as he could. As he'd soon discovered, Vexen often _threw _his shield in a more intense battle, letting it sweep through distant Heartless before it sprang back to his arm on some sort of invisible yo-yo string. But what was most interesting was when he attempted evasive measures. Vexen's body was too tall and awkward to move with any real swiftness, and he sometimes stumbled or got caught in a blast in the process of trying to run away from it. Then again, that also explained his weapon—meant for blocking instead of dodging, since he was obviously no good at that.

It was also enjoyable watching him use his powers so much. Though he couldn't stand touching the cold, rigid chunks, Marluxia couldn't help but admire the beauty of the clear, crystalline bursts of ice Vexen summoned in the midst of battle. They shattered and tinkled against his foes, bursting apart, sometimes catching the low sunlight and glistening before disappearing into nothingness again. Part of him wanted to see him perform a Limit Break, because he knew it would be a dazzling, unforgettable sight…but another part of him just as strongly wanted to make sure he never got to the point at which he _could_ perform a Limit Break.

Meanwhile, though he could barely admit it to himself, Vexen had been enjoying the view of Marluxia battling as well. He cursed himself for lapsing a few times and losing his concentration when he allowed himself a glimpse of his slick body reeling and thrusting, engaged in combat. There was so much power, but so much smoothness in the way Marluxia moved—he delivered brutal strikes, but the graceful arc of his lashing scythe somehow softened the image. He wielded it more like a tool than a weapon—an artist's paintbrush, a sculptor's chisel. Little explosions of flower petals often followed his blows, lending an air of exquisiteness to the whole image. Vexen had to practically force himself not to look, and he resented that he couldn't better control his own actions. He tried to pass it off as mere curiosity, but he knew, deep down, it was more than that.

It was no wonder they hadn't spoken much, really…they were too busy furtively checking each other out. Marluxia enjoyed a particularly nice view from behind as he followed Vexen up the flight of steps to the north.

"Hm." Vexen stopped at the top step, glancing around the empty train courtyard before them. Everything was perfectly quiet…then suddenly, something tugged on the inside of their stomachs at the same time. Though it was a strange sensation to Vexen, Marluxia had become very familiar with it.

"Looks like the RTC has been activated," Marluxia announced. "We're all done already…that was fast."

"Then let's return and be done with it." Vexen nodded and turned…to find Marluxia pushing back against his chest, determinedly. _Wonderful_, he thought._ Now it's going to start. I knew it was too much to hope for that we could pass this mission without incident._

"No. Not so fast. You're finally here, in an outside world. We're staying and enjoying it a little longer."

Vexen sighed. _I just knew he was going to say something like that_. "Marluxia, if you've forgotten, this is an evaluation mission. Saïx and Xemnas are watching and reviewing our performances. We can't afford to be lazing about when there's no need for us to linger here any longer. Let's be on our way."

He moved to walk past him, but Marluxia stubbornly threw his body in the way once more, pushing him back. Here, he could afford to be forceful…he could easily gain the upper hand. "No. This is...a special opportunity, and I won't let it be wasted. Come on, now. The others will probably all slack off after their missions are complete, too. In fact, I'm sure they will. No one takes these pointless missions seriously. We're staying a moment to rest."

And then, glancing slightly to the right, he noticed it. The perfect place. Just over a brick railing, Marluxia could see a slightly raised, grassy area and a lone oak tree. To anyone else, it would've seemed like nothing special—just a bit of decorative vegetation…but Marluxia knew, as soon as he laid eyes on it, that the spot was just what he'd been looking for. He could practically feel it calling to him.

Before he could spare a second to change his mind, he seized Vexen by the long sleeve of his coat and forcefully tugged him along towards it. "There's no reason anyone should be upset if we just took a little break to rest…to sit down for a little while under that tree there. It's only natural."

Vexen grumbled a little, but followed, because truth be told, he really did want to. He only wished he'd had the foresight to bring a notepad or something with him, but then again, he'd never expected Marluxia's wishes to actually come _true_. If he didn't know better, he'd think he set this up on purpose somehow.

Before he could think anymore about the matter, he found himself being insistently tugged downwards to the base of the tree, and he awkwardly knelt near its roots while Marluxia sprawled out like he owned this plot of land.

"Hmnnnn," Marluxia sighed and stretched, relieving his somewhat-sore muscles from the strain of battle. "Now isn't this wonderful? Makes you appreciate the power of nature."

Vexen clenched his hands into fists over his thighs. "I'd much rather be back in my lab right now."

"You and that damn lab. That's all you ever think about, isn't it? Getting back there as soon as possible. Are you really that uncomfortable with the outside worlds, Vexen?"

"No. I quite enjoy the outside worlds. They are a part of what I seek to understand, after all. But I do _not_ enjoy being out and about in them when there is important work to be done."

Marluxia's arm moved upwards, stroking Vexen's right bang and a bit of his shoulder with it. "Oh, come now. I only want you to admit that nature is wonderful and calming. Just stop and feel the breeze. Listen to the leaves. Don't think about anything. Just relax and let the tree's gentle power sweep you away."

Vexen snorted. "The tree's 'gentle power'? Trees have no power of their own. They are dependent on the soil, the sunlight, the weather…they have no will of their own. They, as everything else in this universe, bend to the dictates of science. Its particles make it what it is. Break those down, and it would be entirely at your mercy. I could turn this entire tree to gold, given the time to rearrange its matter. "The power of the tree"…pah."

"Really?" Marluxia's voice slithered. "You could turn it to gold? I'd like to see you achieve _that_."

"I _could_," Vexen replied. "Don't underestimate me."

"I want to see it, then…sometime." Marluxia's tone softened, caught up in the whole image his mind was creating. "I want to see your golden tree. I bet it would be a sight to behold."

Silence. A few birds flew overhead, letting out pointed cries. The wind shifted through the leaves, a soft noise of cradling. Somewhere far off in the distance, a train whistle blew. And the perpetual sunset bathed everything in a warm, comforting glow.

Gradually, Vexen did begin to relax…he shifted his position, lying back against the tree trunk and tucking his long legs comfortably underneath him. His eyes closed, and he tried to imagine he was somewhere else…alone…with no other ties, no obligations suffocating him. It didn't…matter. He tried not to let it matter. All that mattered was here…right now. He didn't mind it anymore. Being here with Marluxia…in the silence. It was wonderful. If only it could go on for eternity. It couldn't.

"I…want to ask you something."

Vexen opened one eye. Marluxia was lying on the ground right next to him, his smooth face glancing up at him from beside his right thigh. Yet the tone he used was so mellow, so non-threatening. So sincere.

"Even…you said your Other had some sort of previous connection with Zexion and Lexaeus's Others. You never told me…what kind of connection it was. I want to know more about it."

Vexen sighed. "Ienzo…Zexion's Other was very young—only eight years old—when Master Ansem adopted him into our circle of Apprentices. He chose Even to be young Ienzo's mentor and caregiver, since work often kept him too busy for him to be with the child. They…grew to…care about each other, almost like parent and son. Meanwhile, Aeleus, Lexaeus's Other, was kind of like Even's silent protector. Even never knew it, but Aeleus was always looking out for him—he preferred him more than any of the other Apprentices, and he often worried about his health and safety. _I _could see this, but Even never could…until it was too late."

Vexen paused, wondering if he should continue, but one glance over towards Marluxia's awestruck, curious face urged him to keep going.

"Well…one day, little Ienzo found out about the Siphoning Process…and he was furious and decided he was going to put a stop to it any way he could. He interrupted it while Even was right in the middle of feeding off his energy…and leaped into the middle of the energy's stream. Even tried to stop it, but by then, it was too late. The process went haywire and sucked too much life force from Ienzo all at once. When it was finally finished, his body had aged to be sixteen years."

Marluxia's eyes widened, trying to imagine being eight years old one day and suddenly being sixteen years old the next.

"Even was devastated about it—he saw it as his fault, and…I didn't help matters. Aeleus tried to help him, but he…but _we_ wouldn't listen. Even wanted nothing more to do with Ienzo, believing himself to be a curse, and Ienzo grew frustrated with him…again, it…wasn't exactly his fault."

Vexen squeezed his eyes closed, but he could _see_ Marluxia's softly questioning look staring back at him. His beautifully constructed concern was almost convincing. These were dark secrets…things he thought he'd never share with another living being…but now he was willing to reveal them at last, to the only creature that had ever consumed so much of his attention before.

"Back then, I was—_different_. When I first came into being. I had thoughts and I had a consciousness…but I was only Darkness eating away at Even's heart. I was…the essence of that Darkness. I sought control over his body at every turn…I desperately tried to overcome him, to destroy him. Everyone else's Darkness was doing the same, but the difference was, they were not aware of it. Even knew I was there. He screamed at me, trying to get me to leave him alone…but I crushed him. I caused immeasurable suffering for him. I was the one urging him to go farther…to perform unspeakable horrors in the name of his scientific inquiry. In a sense, I was his passion…red-hot desire and maniacal lust for power, unbidden by pesky things like morals and conscience. Even and I completed gruesome experiments without a thought for others' safety. And always, afterwards, Even would only suffer even more at the horror and loathing of what he'd done. I…I made his life a living hell."

Marluxia was utterly transfixed, listening to Vexen's tale. Never had he imagined that at any time, he'd been so full of…pure malice.

Vexen shook his head, wishing he could just forget. Having such a far sight and deep-reaching memory was a curse sometimes, and he wished he could've been like everyone else, ignorant of the first few months of their formation.

"But afterwards, once Even faded and I finally had complete control over his body…I could no longer feel that rush of vile adrenaline…that malcontented joy I would get out of snuffing the life out of creatures. I could no longer feel anything at all. I am much, much wiser now. I was…a monster, then. Now I know and understand Even better than I ever could before. I am him. Nothing of that newborn, unformed spirit of me remains now. I despise what I used to be."

One gloved hand trailed up Vexen's shoulder, again rubbing at it and trying to ease the solid tightness that had formed there. _I never knew such a thing was possible_, Marluxia thought. _I wonder what _I _was like before I was "fully formed"…but from the sounds of things, I'm better off not knowing. He'll always have to carry the burden of knowing how he tormented his other self. Vexen really has so much to bear all at once. That's…my reactionary desire…to make it just a little lighter and easier for him. I hope I can accomplish that. _

"Vexen…" Gingerly, Marluxia shifted himself upwards, gripping onto his shoulder…and carefully placed a kiss, right near the corner of his mouth. Though he immediately flushed a bit, he was too lost in thought to react in any other way. "Thank you for sharing so much with me. I understand so much more about you now. I never knew…your past was so dark. That you used to be so evil."

Underneath his touch, Vexen's body seemed to harden even more. It was all too much now…he didn't want to think about it anymore. He didn't want to have to deal with this anymore.

"You have no right to judge," he coldly spoke. "Like _your_ past was so innocent and virtuous."

That hand clenched down through his coat sleeve, almost piercing into skin. _How dare he…? How _dare _he bring that up now? Trying to equate Lumaira's life with his misdeeds. How dare he think so lowly of me…?_

"You…have…no idea." Marluxia's voice seeped through tightly-clamped teeth. "You haven't a _clue_ what my Other's life was really like. I don't care what you've _seen_ from what makes up my being. You have no right to judge him—to talk about him in that way. Lumaira had plenty of weaknesses, yes, and I can't stand him for that. But you have _no_ right to look down on him like a piece of trash!"

In an instant, the calm atmosphere had become charged with electric fury and tension. Yet Vexen didn't let Marluxia's threat perturb him this time. He shrugged. "I only know what I have rightly observed—a small piece of his desires."

"You think it was by _choice_?" Marluxia was trembling as he tried to prevent himself from outright attacking him. And everything had been going so well—Vexen had been trusting him and opening up to him again…but then he had to look down his hooked nose at him in disgust. He would _never_ stand for this kind of treatment!

"Hmph." Vexen turned his face. "Either way, I'm certain I don't want to hear about it."

"Gah-!" Marluxia's arm shot up, as if to strike him, but at the very last second, he managed to reel himself in, letting it fall into his lap and squeezing into a fist. How dare he…how _dare _he? He'd sat patiently and listened to his entire story, and now he didn't give a damn about anything he had to say?

"I don't care," he growled, with warning. "You will see. I will make you understand. You told me it would be good for me to get in touch with my Other's life…well, I will. You'll see."

Though Vexen made sure nothing showed on his face, his mind did start to panic a smidge at that threat. He'd have to be very careful tonight…and any future nights.

Thoroughly irritated, Marluxia pushed off from the ground, commanding Vexen to follow. "Let's go now."

_Oh, well,_ Vexen couldn't help but think when he lifted back to his feet and contemplatively made his way with Marluxia towards the open Dark Corridor. _So much for the "power of nature". _

(-)

Throughout the whole afternoon, Marluxia couldn't get his mind off what Vexen had said to him. No matter what the others tried to chit-chat with him about, his mind continued to stew over his snarky responses. No matter what, he couldn't allow it to go on. He'd put him back in his place…he'd prove the worth of his own background.

Strange, how not so long ago, he'd hated Lumaira…he'd been desperate to set himself up as distinctly separate from Lumaira. Though he still thought of himself as better than him, an improved version of him, he _knew_ the connection he shared with him…and he cherished it as an essential piece of who he was.

_I know just what I'm going to do tonight_, he finally decided. Marluxia was lost in his thoughts again—the echoing voices ricocheted around him in Where Nothing Gathers as he made his way to his chair. _I've wanted to do one of Lumaira's routines before, yet I've stopped myself, fearing how Vexen would react. Tonight, I'm going to let it flow out. If he screams at me…if he attacks me, so be it. It's time I taught _him_ a thing or two. For being such a genius…there's so much he doesn't know. _

The drone of Xemnas's deep voice buzzed in his ears as he looked down on Vexen's scowling face across from him. Well, he couldn't actually see his face, but from his posture, it was pretty obvious he was scowling underneath his hair.

And then…something else caught Marluxia's eye, completely shocking him out of his contemplative trance. Far, far below, in the center of the circular Nobody symbol etched into the stone floor, a small black figure stood straight and unmoving. Curious, Marluxia tuned back into Xemnas Radio just to get an idea of what in the world was going on.

"…selected. We are, as of now, the Twelfth Order."

_Wh…what? That's…a new member?_ Though he'd certainly known it was possible, and actually highly likely, Marluxia had never expected there to be someone new…someone newer than _him_.

Everyone was staring in fascination and utter bewilderment at the figure, almost like they'd never seen something like this before. Well, the more reserved members, like Xaldin and Lexaeus were just staring with slight interest, while Demyx was outright gaping. That was when Marluxia blinked and noticed that there was indeed something very different about this Nobody.

It was quite slender…but even from this distance, he could see shape to its body…an outwardly curved chest, a smaller waist, more arching hips… _A…_female_? _No one had ever seen a female Nobody before. It was so foreign to them, they couldn't help but stare on in amazement.

"This is our Number Twelve…" Xemnas announced. "Larxene."

With that, a trained Dusk hopped up behind the new Nobody…and pulled back her hood.

Her hair was a startling blond…more yellow than any natural blond could hope to be, and cut short below her ears. But by far, her most striking feature was the two long pieces of hair that stood up on their own, curving around her head like two antennae. Her wide green eyes stared blankly ahead of her, like any other new-formed Nobody. But as small gasps and awed cries escaped his fellow members' lips, Marluxia delved deep into thought again.

_How come none of us have ever seen her before? When I was new, Xigbar introduced me to everyone else in the Grey Area long before I attended my first Organization gathering. Is there…something special about this Larxene, aside from her being a woman? Why would she have been kept secret from us? _

While Xemnas went on to babble about future plans and hearts and darkness and stuff, Marluxia pondered. _I hope I'll get to meet her soon…_

As it was, the Dusks brought her away when the meeting was done, before anyone could say a word to her. Yet, he just knew…they would be together soon. Larxene…he would get her to trust him too.

(-)

Tiny gaseous bubbles rushed up through a clear liquid, quiet slopping sounds breaking the otherwise peaceful quiet. The white noise of machines buzzed underneath, a familiar hum that calmed nerves and swept worries away. He'd needed this moment…needed it almost as much as they did.

One bare, bony hand slid up over the glass tank, drawing comfort from its smooth, warm surface. Immersed in the liquid on the other side, the scrunched, peachy form of a baby was suspended in an opaque, fleshy sack…resting, but healthy and alive. To anyone else, the image would be alarming—grotesque, unnatural, and wrong—but to Vexen, it was miraculous.

The Replicas were beginning to take form now…though he was developing this more critical one faster. It had slowly grown past the size of a fetus into a real infant now. All the adjustments to its DNA structure were complete, come what may of the odd changes he'd been required to perform, and now, all that was left was to keep the feed of energy going and closely monitor its accelerated developments.

Here, in the back room with his creations, Vexen could temporarily put his Marluxia problem on the back burner and focus on what mattered most. But unfortunately, as soon as he allowed his mind a smidgeon of room to think his name, all of these worries came flooding back.

_I…like him_. There was no denying it anymore. _At least my body is responding with arousal to him. I can't blame it, really. And…I've become too close and trusting with him. I really shouldn't have told him everything about Even and I. But…I've known for so long…these special properties of Nobody creation. I've never had anyone to listen before. It's no fault of my own, either. _

Regretfully, Vexen exited from the Replica room back into his cluttered lab, sighing at all the disorganized rubble. He'd been taking notes like a madman this afternoon, and after the "examination" he'd been too stressed out to try to put anything back in order. And with a quick glance towards the wall clock, he realized that things weren't about to get any better. _8:55…no time before he gets here. _

At least Marluxia hadn't been arriving hours early lately…apparently, he had "important projects" to work on, though Vexen scoffed that nothing _he _could do by himself could possibly be so important. Then, he'd possibly have to deal with whatever punishment he'd cooked up for him in retaliation for insulting his Other.

A cold, throbbing sensation began in the pit of Vexen's stomach, and he labeled it something like the memory of utter dread. He had every right to prepare himself for any sort of life-threatening situation…there was no telling what Marluxia might do, and he'd _really _rather not try to imagine.

A moment later, just as he'd feared, a loud rapping sounded against his iron lab doors…and there was nothing else to do but go ahead and open them.

Marluxia was completely prepared. As soon as Vexen slid open the doors, he shoved him aside and burst in, just as a display of dominance.

Somehow, as he slammed the doors after him, Vexen managed to keep his metaphorical cool."A little eager for tonight's happenings, are we?" He turned and raised an eyebrow.

"Supremely," Marluxia answered, level and ready. "Couldn't wait all evening."

_That does not bode well…_ "Then you're fortunate I've finished inputting Number Twelve's data, and tonight, I have some time to work on our next emotional energy facsimile." Vexen tried to ignore the warnings going off in his system and simply began pulling out the charts and tables associated with the incomplete "happiness" model.

"Oh." Marluxia appeared mildly interested. "So you had to give Larxene a checkup, like what you did with me? It must've been so hard for you to touch a girl like that—I feel so sorry for you."

Obviously, he was purposely trying to nag him and get on his nerves…and Vexen just didn't have the patience for that. "Marluxia, you know very well examinations have nothing to do with that piece of my being. As a purely medical practice, there is no stimulation—either positive or negative—involved. I don't even know why I'm reiterating this to you."

"Because you have nothing else to respond with…" Marluxia slithered closer, almost brushing his body against Vexen's side. Oh, he just loved the way Vexen's long body shuddered whenever he touched it.

Marluxia brought his face in very close, and though Vexen was taller, he could almost see him shrink at the feel of his hissing breath on his neck. "Tonight is going to be a little different," he whispered, striving to evoke both trepidation and desire within him. "_I'm _going to be the one doing a little experiment. So you had better watch closely, now."

"I-If you do anything to harm me, _Eleven_, I'll have just cause to retaliate…to get the rest of the Organization involved." Vexen hated how the pink-haired menace could somehow cause him to stumble over his words. "You know very well that Ze…"

"Oh, hush," Marluxia cut him off. "It's nothing. Just relax." He pushed down against his shoulders, urging him to take a seat. "I just want to show you something. It might…be relevant."

Although every fiber of his being was screaming at him to leave this fearful situation, another, buried part of Vexen's psyche was burning with curiosity. He couldn't…really hurt him, right? Would he really hurt him? No…he should be safe here. And so, against his better judgment, he fetched his desk chair and a pad of notes…and took a safe seat in it.

Marluxia was sweeping away piles of books and empty wrappers and old racks, clearing a large, circular floor space. It probably didn't mean anything, but Vexen took a note of it anyway. While he was writing, Marluxia unzipped his jacket, shrugging it to the ground and easily flinging it away over the piles of junk he'd just repositioned. When Vexen lifted his gaze, his face reddened.

_Wow, all it takes for him to flare up now is just being shirtless. _This was already incredibly fun, Marluxia decided, as he slipped off both his boots and his socks, also tossing them out of the way.

_Well…this is…certainly nice_, Vexen thought as he sat staring at Marluxia's body, clad only in tight black pants. _But…this isn't…what he wanted to show me…is it? _He was even having difficulty _thinking_ around that…masterfully carved human figure.

But before Vexen could ogle his abs any more, his eyes closed…and he stretched… And then…Marluxia began to…_dance_.

"Dance" was far from the correct term, and it fell woefully short of describing what occurred before Vexen's eyes…but that was the only thing he could think to name it.

Marluxia concentrated, letting his memories overtake him…sweep through his system and take control of his limbs…fill every last molecule of space. Soon, he found himself moving on his own…in ways and beats he never had before. Through his mind's eye, he saw flashes of color…sparkles, lights, heat, so much heat…exhilaration. This…_this _had been what Lumaira truly enjoyed. This had been his life. His work. His passion. There was such beauty and life and energy around him. He wished it could go on forever…that it never had to end and melt away into darkness and searing pain. The end he knew was coming.

_But not here. Not me._ Marluxia caught a hold of his own separate identity again. _Not…Vexen._

His body was swirling and undulating to a soft rhythm heard only in his distant memories…folding and heaving and pulling and stretching into positions the human body shouldn't even be capable of. In the midst of it, one action tugged his arm up to slide a kiss in Vexen's direction. Just another part of this particular routine. He knew it would end up happening. Just keep going…don't let it fade out now.

Clenching his eyes shut to focus, Marluxia gradually began to move faster. By now, Vexen had entirely forgotten about taking notes. In fact, the notepad had already slipped from his hand, leaving him simply staring, mouth slightly agape. As his jerks and pulsations and undulations accelerated, Marluxia was slowly moving forward…occasionally opening his eyes, as his memories dictated, flashing Vexen incredibly sultry smiles. At one point, his arms opened, waving…beckoning. But then his mad dance resumed, sweeping and spinning across the floor like a Dervish, his hair flinging behind him in a pink whirl.

A frantic heartbeat pounded in Marluxia's ears, drowning out all other sounds, and he was dancing to his own beat now. The flashes were growing too much…racing through his mind at speeds too fast and maniacal to process…everything was accumulating…pulling so hard, he was suddenly afraid it all might just burst inside of him. But at last, he felt his body squeeze against something, and instantly, the spell was broken.

Marluxia opened his eyes, gasping for breath, sweat trickling down his chin…to find himself pressing his hands to Vexen's chest, and his right knee pressing into his thigh.

"Uh…ah…huh…fuh…" There was no hope of him getting any words out, so he simply lifted himself off, standing blankly at his side while he caught his breath.

Meanwhile…Vexen was almost equally out of breath. His face was bright red, his body quivering, his eyes staring, unblinking at him. A few drops of sweat were beading on his forehead too.

"Th…th-thank you," Marluxia finally managed to choke out, bending a little at the waist to signal that he was through.

"K…ghhh…kkkk…" Vexen also struggled with his vocal chords. His whole throat suddenly felt very dry and sticky. After a moment, he coughed, clearing some of the haze pressing down on his senses and just slightly unknotting the enormous strain in the center of his chest. It took a second before he could think clearly again.

Marluxia observed all of this and couldn't help beaming with pride at his accomplishment. "Well…" he spoke, tauntingly, with a glance downwards. "I can see you quite enjoyed my performance."

With a little yelp of alarm, Vexen flung a book from his desk into his lap, and one drop of sweat fell down the side of his face in embarrassment.

"Huh…ahahahahaha!" The laugh bursting from Marluxia's lungs was almost painful.

"Y-_You_…how could you… That was…"

"Oh, shush." Marluxia reached up to dab away a bit of Vexen's sweat, though he was still coated in perspiration himself. He couldn't stop himself and let it lead him to combing fingers through his hair. "It's only natural. And Lumaira was a master at his craft."

"I…guess I can't hide it anymore." Vexen's eyes dipped and his voice was very soft, so Marluxia moved in a little closer to hear him. "I've…begun to experience attraction towards you as well."

"Heheh," Marluxia lightly chuckled. "That much is obvious."

An urge built up within him—a sudden spark, as if his brain was telling him to do something without any explanation. It just demanded he obey. And so he carefully moved in closer, so as not to startle Vexen too much, and continued raking through his hair.

Then…finally…while both their minds were still a bit numb…he pushed his lips to Vexen's…gently, yet firmly…holding there for a moment. Underneath, he felt Vexen's lips quivering a little. He pulled away, fearing that this miraculous moment would come to an end.

But to his complete surprise, arms suddenly lifted, wrapping themselves around his waist and drawing him in closer. Marluxia folded himself back over Vexen's lap…and amazingly enough…_Vexen _was insistently kissing back at his lips. It was very awkward and stilted, but when they pulled away a minute later, Marluxia thought it was the most wonderful thing that had ever happened to him.

Vexen panted with effort, his heart beating wildly under the lining of his coat. _What_ was he _doing_? Mentally, he screamed all kinds of depreciating obscenities at himself. No! _No_! He couldn't be _doing _this! It didn't matter that Marluxia wouldn't reject him…actually, no, that wasn't a definite either. He could turn at any moment. Most of all—he was _tampering_ with his own _materials_! He might as well burn every scrap of his "attraction research notebook". None of it…none of it was any use anymore. And it was all his own fault.

Still…at least Marluxia seemed to be artificially happy. On top of him, he could feel his body pressing in…his chest heaving against his torso, the rough sounds of his panting at his collarbone.

"Oh, _Vexen_…" The shot of crackling, looping, infinite energy did twists and turns and loops of elation through Marluxia's body. If only he could feel what this energy would have given him…he was sure it would've been the most amazing feeling in the universe. A chuckle popped out from his lungs. "You're a terrible kisser."

He was so lost in this strange experience that he didn't notice Vexen's body grow slightly colder.

"I think you need a little more practice…" Trembling with overstimulation, his hands raised, grabbing at the edges of Vexen's hood and using them to pull himself closer…reaching again for his lips.

"Hgg…ggii…iiih…_no_!" At last, Vexen's reason returned, and he flung Marluxia's shaking body off with a small burst of coolness, leaving him to crash painfully backwards onto the floor.

"_Aaaugh_!" Marluxia shrieked when his backside collided with the ground. _Why…? _

When he mustered his bearings to look back up, Vexen had leapt from the chair, unconsciously clutching at the top of his coat zipper as if to prevent him from ripping his clothes off. Another interesting composite expression squeezed his features…fear, anger, and disappointment. It was so easy to read him now…and Marluxia even had an idea of what he might be thinking at this moment. _I bet he can't believe what he's just done, and he's disgusted with himself. He's…not really angry with me. He's angry with himself. Damn. There go his stupid ice barriers again, getting in the way and ruining the moment. _

"Ah." Carefully, Marluxia picked himself up, sadly releasing the wondrous energy that had filled his system and letting it slowly burn out. He rubbed his sore butt cheeks and re-fluffed his hair, though he was still red-faced and somewhat rumpled from his routine.

Secretly, Vexen thought it was incredibly sexy. And then cussed himself out again for thinking so.

"So I guess that's as far as we're going, huh? Well, good progress anyway."

"Y-Y-_Yes_, that's as far as we're 'going'!" Vexen snapped, sensing the return of his faculties. "I don't know what you deigned to accomplish with such a barbaric display. I suppose you consider it successful, based on the type of response such things are designed to evoke. Thus I retain my former assertion that your Other was a filthy, earth-sodden bastard!"

"Oh, those words." As much as they might have stung someone with the ability to feel, Marluxia was still too amused to let them bother him. Quickly, he fetched his dropped coat and shrugged it back over his shoulders, leveling his gaze at Vexen's rigid form. "You can spout those fancy words at me all you like, but now the both of us know for sure…you don't really mean them."

"I…I disclosed that my body is exhibiting signs of stimulation in your presence, but that is the sole fact. Nothing in my manner indicates that I am not entirely against your so-called 'progress'."

_Oh, geez…when will he just drop it for good? _Marluxia hummed softly while he zippered his coat and pulled his boots back on. _And he's attracted to me too now…or he's always been and he just never knew it. This is going to be so much fun._

"Well, like it or not, my performance elicited a certain response from you…something I'm sure you would've never experienced otherwise. And also, whether you like it or not, it was a positive experience. Now write _that_ down in your notes."

"Write down in my…_notes_?" Vexen's body scrunched as he tried to restrain himself from spiraling into hysterics. "My _notes _are completely worthless now! There is no scientific merit in such _blemished_ research! This unique Nobody attraction might as well have never occurred, if I cannot properly document it! There is no use…no _point_ in continuing. But I can't…"

"You can't turn back now." Marluxia slid closer, gently lifting Vexen's chin and staring into his quivering green eyes with gentleness…but also an underlining hunger. "It's too late. You already belong to me."

"…Hmph!" Vexen slapped his hand off, whirling away towards his familiar desk. "I belong to _no one_! Nor am I an _object _to be possessed or to be _used_ as anyone wishes!" Desperately, he lowered his head towards his desk, using it to steady himself both physically and mentally…and mumbled something, just low enough to be out of hearing range.

Marluxia sauntered after him. "Well. You cannot deny I now have a certain foothold over you, though."

"But don't you forget…" Although he was still panting and shivering slightly, when Vexen turned his face, his pointed, maniacal grin was almost alarming. "I have a firm foothold over you as well."

Before Marluxia could form any sort of response, Vexen shoved an armful of papers at him, forcing him to grab them before he lost his balance. "You'll be filing those for me tonight. I have some energy combinations to test, and you can look over them once you're finished. No wasting any more of my precious time!"

_So it's the old "I'm not thinking about this anymore, so just go do some work and leave me alone" strategy._ _Oh, well, fine. It's enough for now._ Even though he knew he'd be spending the rest of the night organizing archaic graphs and data sheets, Marluxia was entirely satisfied…he'd be thinking about this night for the rest of the week.

(-)

It was getting harder and harder to focus exclusively on the tasks at hand, even though everything was still just as fascinating and compelling. Vexen watched intently as the tiny glass container between his fingers heated…and then shattered. _Not that one, then…_

These experiments were still his life—what he thought about every waking moment. But gradually…he'd find his mind wandering, other thoughts and sensations distracting him. He used to be able to sit here and work for hours on end without pausing a moment…but now he'd get tired or hungry or sore and have to stop for a short while to readjust. He could still ignore the pains his body sent him and keep working, if he was compelled enough…but the fact that they could derail him, even for a second, was disturbing to him. However it had happened, Marluxia had reawakened his own physical sensations…the things he'd fought to suppress and ignore even before overtaking Even's body.

Even had learned at a young age to hide his sexuality and make it virtually nonexistent. It would only harm him and destroy him. In his competitive line of work, he would've never been accepted as a gay scientist. Eventually, he'd succeeded in "freezing himself over"…making himself entirely numb to his own bodily needs. As a Nobody, Vexen had taken this numbing to a further degree, to the point where he'd been unable to feel his own hunger, thirst, and fatigue. He'd had to keep a little timer around while working to remind himself to use the bathroom.

But now…Marluxia had effectively erased every trace of it. He felt hungry again…he felt tired again…he felt aroused again. And it was killing him.

It shouldn't have been so much of a surprise, really. Vexen had been keeping track of these things, along with Marluxia's progress in the attraction research…but he figured easing the numbness away from his hunger and fatigue wasn't so bad. Nothing should be able to reach far enough to be able to reawaken his body's other sensations. But Marluxia had…and now, Vexen was scared out of his mind.

Yet…another part of him thought that…maybe this could be for the better. After all, he had no more emotional ties to any physical sensations. As he'd stated…he still had a hold in Marluxia as well…as much as they both despised it, they were bound to each other now, with invisible golden threads.

And perhaps…through this abominable permission, Vexen could learn a thing or two himself.

(-)

"We are confident that you will train her effectively."

Marluxia had never heard a more wonderful collection of words. Today's mission…was to take Larxene out on _her_ first mission.

Saïx had warned everyone that she was unstable and a challenge to control, but he'd deemed Marluxia competent enough to work with her. "In light of your recent mission performances, we believe you will be up to the challenge," he'd said to him. "It _is _customary for our most recently inducted members to experience the first mission together…so we're truly fortunate to have you as our Number Eleven." There was nothing like a little ego-stroking before a long day of work.

_Good._ Marluxia thought, even as he reiterated basic mission procedure to the female Nobody. _This means Xemnas is beginning to acknowledge me…he thinks enough of me at least to entrust me with this supposedly volatile woman. It's not as much as I would like, of course, but it _is_ something. It's more than I expected, actually. _

Lately, he'd been concerned that he'd been spending too much time with his "Vexen Project" and not doing enough to advance himself in the Organization. Here, he decided he _ought_ to work a little harder…but he didn't have to fret over it so much. They'd come to fully appreciate him in due time. Meanwhile…he'd take this opportunity to find out what Larxene was all about.

The female Nobody was simply staring at him, a distant coldness in her large green eyes. Her eyes bore some distant resembles to Vexen's…and maybe that was why Marluxia felt so inexorably comfortable in her presence. By all rights, he should've been more wary, given what Saïx had been saying about her…but…somehow, he knew it had to be lies and exaggerations.

Larxene hadn't yet said a word to him. For now, it seemed like she was simply appraising him…looking him up and down, watching his body language, his voice tone, maybe deciding if she would listen to him or not.

"And so…" Marluxia finished up his mundane speech by reaching one arm above his head and summoning his scythe in a small flurry of flower petals.

_That _finally got a response out of Larxene. She looked up at it and her eyes lit up with some sort of recognition. Apparently, blades were something she could understand.

Marluxia smiled a little—one of his soft smiles that hid something darker behind it. "…let's see how you do in battle."

With a little dramatic swipe of his scythe, he brought forth a small group of Heartless from the Dark Corridor behind him—a special "training package" Saïx had prepared. Soldiers, Scarlet Tangos, Watchers, and even a Large Armor streamed forth from the black vortex, and they immediately began to mill around, filling the plaza.

_That might be a bit overkill_, Marluxia admitted. He was probably meant to release the Heartless gradually, leading Larxene up to the tougher enemies. But it was much more fun and interesting this way. If he needed to intervene, he would be ready…but for now…

_Shhnk! _In one fluid motion of her arms, a yellow burst of light surrounded Larxene's hands…and clutched between her fingers, a set of yellow throwing knives appeared, pointed threateningly, like claws.

_Hm. Interesting choice of weapon_, Marluxia mused, though he kept silent in anticipation. _I wonder how she's going to…?_

He didn't have long to wonder. With a glint of her now narrowed eyes, Larxene flashed forward, her slim body nothing but a black and yellow streak. With a wild ferocity, she tore into the nearest Soldier, slicing its body to bits with lightning-quick swipes of her arms. Fortunately, it quickly dispersed into a cloud of Darkness…but no sooner had it misted away, when Larxene was already annihilating the next group of floating Scarlet Tangos.

Marluxia couldn't deny that he was surprised by all this…but at the same time, he found it completely fitting. Most people would underestimate her for being a woman…just like most people would underestimate him for his pink hair. But they would both prove them to be dead wrong.

As he gazed on, watching her darting and slashing savagely at the Large Armor, his mind registered a sort of kinship with her. Something in that steely gaze of hers…the way her body twisted and stabbed with relentless energy… it resonated with him. He could understand.

At last, once Larxene had finished off the final Heartless, she wrenched herself to a stop just a few feet away from Marluxia, panting…her shoulders shuddering, almost as if she were struggling to contain something within her.

Though he barely remembered the sensation, Marluxia could understand what was going on with her now…that basic need as a Nobody to destroy…to tear apart everything in your path. And slowly, as Larxene turned her head back up to him, her long antenna-bangs bouncing…something in her expression told him she understood as well.

_Number Twelve…_Marluxia thought. _I will have her too. I want her on my side. _

He formed a smirk on his lips. "Very well done. Now…"

With an audible _thwup_, he swung his scythe downward, holding its pole like a karate staff. "…would you care to match blows with me?"

Larxene blinked. She took a deep breath, and the shivering in her body relaxed just slightly. She averted her eyes. And at last…she spoke.

"Aren't you…going to tell me to stop now?"

"Stop?" Marluxia kept his stance leveled. "Why stop now? You're all warmed up. Come, spar with me."

If possible, Larxene's deep green eyes grew even colder. Her hands dropped down to her sides, and she clutched them into squeezing fists, the knives still protruding from them. "_He_ said not to…that it wasn't "appropriate" for something like me. For a _woman_. The blue-haired one. He would force me to stop. Even when he couldn't stop himself. But the Superior man helped him. They would force me…to deny myself. Aren't you going to do the same? Isn't that what this Organization is about?"

_We…are the same_, Marluxia realized, with slight wonderment. _That fighting spirit…the will to never let anyone control us, to tell us what we should and shouldn't be. _

"No."

Larxene trembled a little again.

"No one has the right to tell you what is "right" and "appropriate" for you. Only you can decide that. If you wish to fight, then fight. If you wish to cause immeasurable carnage, well…go ahead and try."

Larxene looked back up in disbelief…and she stared back into Marluxia's confident gaze. Gradually…her blank face transformed…for the first time in her Nobody life…into the ghost of a smile. Her body relaxed, as if all of her pent-up energy had found a new purpose—had been released from the floodgates that held it back—and she took on a focused, combative stance.

"Okay. You asked for it. Now bring it on, Mr. Pink."

With the crash of metal on metal, the edges of knives met a scythe blade…and the glorious noises of their match rang through the Twilight Town square. This was a keeper, for sure.

And though their competition ended in a tight draw, Marluxia knew he couldn't wait to get a chance to work with Number Twelve again.

(-)

"No. _Fornicating_. Way."

Marluxia pouted, majestically, and tried to keep himself from stretching the material in his hands out of pure frustration. "Come ooooon. I _told_ you I had something new to try out today. And you know how I am. You should have been prepared for this."

"Marluxia, _nothing_ could prepare me for _this_. Why would I even _think_ of…? For that matter, why would _you_ think of…?"

"I've been preparing this for _quite_ a while, actually."

"You _must _have some manner of mental disability. You _have _to. There's no other explanation. Or else a severe vision impairment."

"Love you too."

Although Marluxia's non-life had become a lot more exciting and enjoyable since Larxene had come into it…tormenting his Vexen was still his number one pleasure. Their bantering was made even sweeter recently when he considered that he was actually attracted to him in return. He knew that as much as Vexen put up a front, he'd already captivated some piece of him. Right now…he'd get him to do this, as much as he'd pretend to resist.

Tonight, as usual, Vexen was working on his next emotional energy model, with barely any progress. Marluxia couldn't understand why it was so difficult—he'd already finished one, shouldn't he be able to just replicate the "anger" one and make slight changes? No, Vexen had asserted that it was an entirely different process and he had to start over from scratch. It was taking _far _too long for Marluxia's liking to complete even this prototype model of a heart…he was going to have to start looking into other options. But for now…

"This is part of my own self-discovery mission to get in touch with my Other's life, you know. I figured you of all people would support me in my quest for knowledge."

"I don't understand how _that _would help you."

"Oh, it would help me in multiple ways."

Bit by bit, Vexen's long cheeks were flushing, and Marluxia could only imagine the chaos of thoughts swirling around through his head right now.

"Look…don't be afraid. I'll do it with you, if you want, so it'll be easier."

"N-_No_!" Vexen shouted, hair whipping behind him as he turned away. "I'm _not_…I'm _not_ wearing a _dress_!"

Delicately draped over Marluxia's arms was a long, silky, light blue garment decorated with silvery chiffon and delicate beadwork. With such rich fabric, it would've been worth at least five hundred dollars at a store…yet Marluxia had produced it himself, right in his own garden. Ever since the day he'd first planted its contents, one special plant had been spinning the fabric of this dress…and under his direction, stitched it together with thin, yet sturdy fiber-threads. Finally, two days ago, it had been completed…just on time.

And just in case, Marluxia had quickly used the plant again to spin a second dress for himself. His was much shorter and not as finely adorned, but he thought it would suit him well enough, if the need arose for it. Unfortunately, it looked like it would.

Vexen refused to look back at the sight of it as he bent back over his chemical research table. "I understand that your tastes differ from the expected average, Marluxia, but honestly… What kind of deranged, deviant, backwards half-wit wants to see an old man wearing a dress?"

"Because…I don't want to see a regular old man wearing a regular dress," Marluxia protested, his voice a practiced hush. "I want to see _you_ wearing a dress that I carefully made especially for you."

Vexen's body shuddered in response. "I had _hoped _to actually get something done today."

"And we _will_ get something done today," Marluxia wheedled. "You just have to try it on for a moment. It doesn't have to be long. Just quickly try it on and let me see it. You can't tell me you've never been curious and tried a dress on at least once in your entire existence. There's nothing wrong with that."

Vexen chewed on the inside of his cheek. _I don't know what he's up to now, but…I can't allow myself to get carried away again. It makes sense, but… I could… What if he…? _

"Well…yes. Even used to do it privately…once in a while. But no one else ever knew. He was…deeply ashamed of it. He saw it as a kind of moral weakness. But that has nothing to do with me as I am now. Since I am devoid of true emotion, I have never felt the desire to do such a ridiculous thing."

Aha. There it was. The one crack of an opening that Marluxia needed. "But then…don't you want to find out?" He moved in a slight bit closer, though Vexen kept his eyes focused on the yellow glow of the glass container on his table. "Don't you want to get more in touch with him? It was a part of who he was, even if you don't want to admit it. You're always telling me to get to know my Other better—to accept him. Why won't you accept Even now, in this?"

_Damn Marluxia and his skills of persuasion. _

"Rrrgh!" Vexen suddenly growled and snatched the gown, much too roughly for Marluxia's liking.

His physical-heart leapt in panic with fear that he would tear it or break the fragile beads apart. Would he really destroy it right before his eyes…?

Vexen glared at the dress with complete disgust. "Alright," he grumbled. "But just for one minute. And you put yours on too."

Marluxia's panicked energy turned into excited energy…though they felt exactly the same to him. _Yes! I knew it. And it didn't take _too_ long. _

"Of course!" he chirped. "Shall I help you get dressed right here?"

"_No_!" Vexen's face turned a lovely shade of red as he began to walk away. "I'm changing in the back room, of course! What did you _think_?"

"Aw, so your Replicas get to see you naked, but I don't? That's no faaair…"

"Why would _anyone _want to…? Marluxia, just shut your mouth and get dressed!"

Vexen slammed the door after that last screech, leaving Marluxia chuckling with amusement. Oh, how he loved tormenting his Vexen. _Still…I hope I do get to see him naked soon._ _I want…him to be more comfortable with his body. Baring himself to me would be like the ultimate act of trust on his part. _

Similar thoughts and plans trailed through his head as he carelessly pulled on his own temporary dress. It was red, not pink, and decorated with two little white bows at the hemline. He'd given it short sleeves, but a tall neckline, with little grooved patterns trailing down the bodice. It didn't much matter to him, though. Lumaira had been cross-dressing almost every day of his life. There was no more thrill or anxiety in it for him than for getting dressed in his uniform. He might as well look pretty, through.

Once the dress was on, he quickly tied up a small piece of his hair and materialized a rose in it. There—good enough. Now all that was left was to wait.

Vexen sure was taking a while, and Marluxia imagined him behind that door, struggling with the gown's side zippers and shoulder-straps, getting his hair caught in the beads. _I really should've insisted on being there to help._

Still, he kept his eyes trained on the closed door to the back room…and when at last it began to peek open, a jolt of electrifying energy shot through him. Then…Marluxia could literally feel his breath being pulled from his lungs as Vexen gingerly stepped out from behind it, into the room.

He clutched his arms behind him, uncomfortably, and scowled rather unattractively. "Stop gawking like that," he spoke, flatly.

"Ah…"

It was…it was even _better _than Marluxia had expected. The gown fit his body perfectly, like it had been made for him…because it had. The light blue layers of the skirt framed his hips and tumbled all the way to his feet, complementing his long legs. Meanwhile, the beaded bodice and neckline showed off his collar bone while fleshing out his chest area to make it appear smoother and less obviously manly. Opaque blue chiffon sleeves draped over his upper arms, softly. Marluxia couldn't help but gape in awe of it all.

"I said stop gawking at me!" Vexen snapped, at once shattering the image. "I know, it's hilarious. You've had your minute now—I'm getting out of this."

"Wait, no!" Desperately, Marluxia dove forward, barely managing to catch him before he closed the door again. "I—It's beautiful! You look amazing! Really, please don't take it off yet. It's…amazing. It's perfect."

Vexen gave him a puzzled, disturbed look, but at least didn't run away into the back room again. "Tch," he snarled. "You and your overzealous aspirations. One day I'm going to ply that forked tongue out of your mouth."

"I…I'm not lying."

Again, that bitter resistance was up, as soon as he'd called him beautiful. For as concerned as he was about earning his praise, Vexen sure didn't know how to take a compliment.

Thoughtfully, Marluxia glanced downward…and noticed something alarming. He hadn't even seen it before…probably because he'd been too focused on the sight of Vexen in his dress. Underneath his hand, the bare skin of Vexen's arm was spotted up and down with tiny scars and dull blotches.

Vexen sighed when he noticed Marluxia staring at his arm, the falsified concern evident in his eyes. "Burns. Accidents. What have you. Though you might think otherwise, my experimentation is not always the safest line of work. Quit your worrying—it means nothing to me anyway."

He yanked his arms out of Marluxia's grasp…but at least he made no more moves to scoot into the back room again.

"Hmn," Marluxia grumbled with displeasure. He could just tell where this was headed now. More of that "my body is disposable", "I've given my body to science" bull crap. He was just _not_ in the mood to listen to that garbage.

"Well, it matters to _me_. Even if you don't care about it."

"Ppf," Vexen spat again. "Well, if you want me to be perfect—if you want me to be your pretty little princess, I don't know _what_ kind of brain disorder you have. I have never been and I never will be physically attractive, and I'm perfectly fine with that."

Marluxia hugged him. It happened so quickly, Vexen had no response other than a suddenly elevated heart rate. Marluxia just grappled him into a squeeze-hug before he could escape and held him there. Just holding him.

A whole minute passed before anything changed.

"Um…" Vexen finally spoke up, his face a little rosy once again. "What…?"

Marluxia shook his head, twisting it further against his stomach, refusing to let go. "Vexen…I'm perfectly fine with that too. You're beautiful _to me_, just the way you are right now, and you always will be. No matter what you say. I can't stand it."

Softly, Vexen sighed, as much as he could breathe with a nomotional pink-head wrapped around his chest. And then he lifted his arms, to rest his hands on Marluxia's back.

"You're insane. You're bat-shit crazy insane. Maybe that's why I like having you around."

Everything was a warm bubble—a different, private sphere, connecting the two of them. Then…Marluxia felt his lungs freeze in awe as he felt Vexen's fingers gently raking through his hair.

"Huh…nice hairdo." He felt the chuckle in his chest. "Did you do that while I was changing?"

"Oh…" Gingerly, Marluxia finally pulled away, leaving Vexen still reaching up to poke at his tiny pigtail. Somewhere in the middle of all this, he'd completely forgotten they were both wearing women's clothing. "Yeah. I just…had to do something while I was waiting." He shrugged.

"It's cute," Vexen remarked, with a little smirk before pulling back. Slowly…the small upturn of his mouth blossomed into a rare, gentle smile.

_Could it be possible that…he's enjoying seeing _me_ in a dress too?_ Marluxia wanted to laugh out loud, but he choked it down for fear of ruining the atmosphere. Things were going so well all of a sudden, and he wasn't ready for it to be over just yet.

Instead, his shoulders twitched. "It's nothing. Lumaira did this all the time. It no longer suits his body. Dresses just don't look as good on me as they did on him."

Vexen snorted. "Modesty doesn't suit you either, Marluxia."

"But it's true…" He heard the echo of Vexen's own words even as they were leaving his tongue. A strange, shivery feeling passed through Marluxia's chest as he remembered…probably the ghost of Lumaira's utter agony and terror.

"They pulled him. He started getting too old…he started growing too much." Irrevocably, Marluxia's eyes were drawn downwards while he dredged up these memories. "His shoulders—_my_ shoulders—and his chest were getting too wide. It didn't look good with the dresses he had to wear. Too manly. They tried to…rearrange his bones. To stop his growth. It…it was one of the worst things he had ever endured. I don't like to think about it, because I can remember his pain."

Just then, Vexen blinked…and something in his eyes softened. "I never realized…" He shook his head.

"What?" Without even meaning to, Marluxia injected a bitter tone to his voice. "You never realized that life wasn't all excitement and pleasure in my past either? That _I _could possibly have painful memories too? That _I_ don't-"

And suddenly, everything he'd been about to say was swallowed in a pair of cool, trembling lips.

All of his previous thoughts smashed into a mental wall, and all his brain could register was surprise and…delight. _He kissed me. He kissed me. He…kissed me._

It only lasted for a few seconds, but that was enough. Vexen's hands grew slightly clammy over Marluxia's shoulders, and he quickly retracted them. His entire being seemed to be shivering slightly, as if he might either burst into tears or hit the floor at any moment.

"I just…I can…understand you now. At least a lot better than I could before. I apologize for…acting insensitive. I think that… It seems like… We can…"

A million memories of former sensations were threatening to overload Vexen's brain as he fought to get the words out. But he had to…he knew he had to now. There was no turning back. "I think that…we can be together. I _want_ to be together."

"Kku-" Marluxia literally choked down the bubble of laughter that almost popped from his throat. Was this a love confession from _Vexen_ now? It was a miracle.

_Gee…force him to wear a dress, and he confesses his love for me? I should do this stuff more often. Or maybe just keep talking about how terrible Lumaira's life was and keep getting him to take pity on me. It's…true, though. It's all true. _

Instead, he found himself forming an expression he realized he hardly ever used himself…the smile of true happiness. "Well, that's perfect! Because I always want to be together."

For the first time, he moved in and was met with no resistance as he pressed his lips to Vexen's face, his hands sliding around his waist, smooth with the slinky dress material.

This time, it did last longer. After a minute or so, Marluxia moved a little further down, kissing tenderly at Vexen's neck…and Vexen's hands fingered the fluffy hair on the back of his head, pulling his little ponytail out and almost pushing his face further against him.

Eventually, Vexen made his way into a chair, and Marluxia swept aside a pile of junk to sit on the table in front of him…and they continued this little kissing and gentle fondling spree. Somewhere in his hazy, pleasure-filled mind, Marluxia found it ironic how hot Vexen's skin felt under his lips. His poor physical-heart was probably ready to explode. But it didn't matter. Nothing else mattered now.

It only came to a halt when he slid the shimmery sleeves of Vexen's dress down his shoulders…beginning to undress him.

Almost immediately, his frigid barrier returned. His body froze, and he shoved back into his chest—not enough to fling him off the table, but enough to put him at fending-off distance. Hastily, he shoved the sleeves back on, still trembling slightly. Fortunately, no words were needed, since they were both incapable of speaking at the moment.

Marluxia knew what he meant. _No. Not that. No more. I'm not going any further. _Okay, it was too early. Not now…but hopefully sometime in the future.

There were a few more silent, wonderful minutes. Deliberately, Marluxia waited ten more minutes before attempting to touch Vexen again. Surprisingly, he allowed him to stroke his hair, while the two of them calmed down…somehow, the action had become familiar and comforting to them both.

Once his panic had faded away enough, Vexen closed his eyes. It was safe again now. Safe enough…to share something he wanted to share.

"…I think I know why my Organization coat is so long now."

"Really?" Marluxia idly combed his fingers through the ends of Vexen's hair again. He thought he knew why, too, but he wanted to hear _him_ say it.

"Because…it's programmed into my body. Even liked wearing long, flowy dresses. It started when he was very little, and the family maids liked to dress him up because they thought it was cute. He enjoyed it. Until his mother found out and put an end to it…she even fired some of the maids who had been involved. But he continued doing it sometimes in secret, because…he liked the feel of the long material over his legs, brushing his ankles. This is…this is a part of me, too, as much as I might wish it were not. And I should…accept it. Maybe not _embrace _it, but…at least accept it. It would be useless to persist in fighting against something you cannot change."

Naturally, Marluxia leaned down closer and planted a small kiss on Vexen's scalp. "Good boy," he murmured. "You're learning."

Vexen snorted. "Hearing _you_ say that to _me_, I'm paralyzed with horror."

"Oh, you should be." Marluxia chuckled.

Against anything Marluxia had ever hoped, Vexen decided to keep the dress…though he changed out of it as soon as eleven o' clock rolled around. He insisted on kicking him out of the lab for the rest of the night, because he had important work to do. Though Marluxia was disappointed that he wouldn't get to pretend to force him to sleep again while he groped him, he conceded, since so much amazing progress had already been made today. Once again, he made him promise to get to bed by one in the morning, much to his chagrin.

Little by little…the door was creaking open…and Marluxia had one leg firmly planted inside, fingers clenched around the edge. Now, all he needed was to force it the rest of the way. Behind it, all of Vexen's secrets and treasures lied in wait…tools he could use and possess for his own.

It was no surprise that, as Marluxia carefully changed out of his costume in a nearby locker room and delicately climbed the stairs back to his chamber, a distant, immense sensation of satisfaction settled inside him.

(-)

"_Huafff_," Vexen sighed when he sat down to work again at last. _I just hung an evening dress in my personal closet…what in the name of physiology? _

"I hope you're happy," he grumbled to his ever-present Other. _I'd bet he's laughing at me right now. Well, I suppose it's only fair…_

Vexen's mind continued to wander over the previous events while he got out his data sheets for the Happiness emotional model and laid them out over his desk in precise order.

_I have never provided him with anything to be amused with. Only…pain and terror. _Vaguely, he thought he could recall experiencing a mild bit of amusement in his early months…but that would have been amusement at Even's own weakness, mocking his shortcomings… He didn't want to think about that any more.

_Hm. I should probably be working on the Replicas instead_, Vexen considered. _But I'll just try this again for a little while. It probably won't get anywhere anyway, and in another half-hour, I can go look over the readings from my Replica tanks again…_Thankfully, progress on the first Replica was continuing apace…though Xemnas wasn't exactly thrilled about its current prognosis. _Only ten minutes or so_.

Yet…fifteen minutes later, he was hunkered in the same position, fingers trailing deftly over sheets of graph paper. Why…why hadn't he thought of this before? Suddenly, pieces and numbers were clicking into place where they had never previously fit. Everything made perfect sense to him. Was it…was it because…

A signal sparked through Vexen's brain, even as it continued to churn out the solutions to vast webs of mathematics. A signal telling him to…laugh. To reach into Even's childhood and pull out the kinetic memories of bubbling giggles. It made absolutely no sense…but it made all the sense in the world.

Pressing one hand lightly to his abdomen, Vexen let loose a burst of mirthful giggles. _Perfect. Completely perfect. Everything is exactly the way it needs to be. I see it now. Of course. _

And another twenty minutes later, Vexen was gazing admiringly at a small yellow pulsating bead contained within a bubbled glass tube. Happiness. The model for Happiness was complete.

_It's because I understand it better_, Vexen thought, though his eyelids were beginning to droop, drowsily. He wouldn't say that he'd actually _experienced_ happiness, oh no—Nobodies were incapable of that—but, given his situation, he _would _have. And that made all the difference in the world. Instead of focusing on the negative memories of Even's past—his mother nagging him and putting pressure on him, researchers constantly surveying him, being surrounded by gruesome images—he was thinking about the good times—playing with the maids, being praised and recognized for his talents, late-night conversations with Ansem, the feel of Ienzo's small hand tugging on his sleeve. Feeling loved.

The yellow ball of falsified happiness floated merrily in its clear gel packing, and Vexen softly gave it a smile. Everything was getting better. Everything was so much better now, so much happier, so much more positive. So much better…since…since _Marluxia_…

(-)

Unfit. Scrnnncgh. Grotesque. Ccrrrrrrgh. Verging limit. _Brown hues, black lines swam before his vision. Blending paint molecules, fuzzy edges, squishing, eyeballs popping, head exploding. _

_Glenn appeared, screaming, crying, holding tight to his arm…but it was only an illusion, a memory, a distant thought in this never-ending existence of clenching agony. _

_Brain squishing, teeth stripping down raw from his gums. His mouth was being blocked by something, and its worn, jagged edges were eating into his flesh. The cool droplets of his own blood oozing from his lips were comforting. He swallowed, tasting dirty metal and fresh dentine. _

_He could remember dimly now… A rough grunt flicked his right eardrum from above, and the immense, unbelievable pressure crushed down even harder on his shoulder. There he was…Glenn… _

_Two tears squeezed out from Lumaira's lower eyelid, even though he'd promised himself he wouldn't cry. He didn't care about himself. Whatever horrific disfigurement occurred to his own body, he didn't care. But Glenn… _

_The brown-haired young man had clamped iron arms around his body, dragging him back, his face covered with tears, a torturous pain tearing through him. He'd been looking more lean and haggard than was usual for him lately, and it was just disturbing and unnatural. He'd screamed until his throat was raw, begging, pleading with them. Teacher and the other new trainers. But there was nothing that could be done. _

"_Glenn…it's okay," Lumaira heard his own voice, eerily calm in the midst of this crisis. "This is a good thing. I'll be able to continue working with everyone for a while longer. After it's…done. Once it's over. I'll be back." _

"Nooo!_" Glenn shrieked. "_No, Luma!_"_

_It couldn't be helped. They took him._

Unusable. "Hhgggh!"

_Something scratched up from the back of Lumaira's throat—blood and bile. It squished out around his mouth-gag, thankfully preventing him from choking to death. His formerly brilliant pink locks were mattered down to the side of his head, brown with dirt and blood. _

_They had taken him into the back room…the room usually used for training. But now, it had been set up differently. A bed, with an iron neck-clamp, wrist and ankle shackles… "It'll all be over soon," Teacher had assured him. She was the most vile, disgusting liar on the face of the planet. _

_Lumaira was their star, their most lucrative money-maker, their most valuable possession. But he was getting too old…he was growing through puberty. His chest and his shoulders were growing too wide. He looked far too masculine. No one would want such an awkwardly-shaped lady to entertain them. So there was only one solution._

Cggcgcgckk. _The pressure was so great, so unbearable, it wasn't even there anymore. Lumaira wasn't sure he was still alive. But then, something popped…snapped and cracked inside him, and he knew it was his shoulder bones breaking apart. _

_The one solution…_make_ his shoulders smaller._ Force_ them in. With special barbed iron presses, designed_ just _for this purpose. Why not? _

_The explosion of pain could never be registered on any scale. Once again, the brown patterns of the floor spun rapidly before his sight…mixed with the haunting image of Glenn's shiny, wet face._ Glenn…I love you. I'll be back.

_Then, the world plunged into peaceful blackness, as Lumaira finally, mercifully, fell into a beautiful unconsciousness._


End file.
